Grove City College Athletics

GROVE CITY, Pa. -- Senior midfielder Noah Gray (Glen Mills, Pa./The Christian Academy) recorded his first hat trick of 2026 whlie four teammates added goals Friday evening as the Grove City College men's soccer team helped kick off Homecoming Weekend on campus with a 7-1 victory over visiting Chatham in Presidents' Athletic Conference action at Don Lyle Field.

Senior defenders Theo Campbell (Robinson Township, Pa./Robinson Township Christian) and Colton Hudson (Murrysville, Pa./Franklin Regional) both scored in the first half to help the Wolverines take a 5-1 lead by halftime. Grove City (8-1-3, 5-0) also received goals from sophomore forward Andrew Perry (Minnetrista, Minn./Southwest Christian) and sophomore midfielder Cristian Garcia (Miami, Fla./Florida Christian). 

Chatham (2-6-2, 2-3-1) jumped out to a 1-0 lead when Charley Ayers scored at 3:20, moments after a yellow card against the Wolverines. 

Chatham went down to 10 men at 21:09 when Ayers received a red card for taking down Gray on a breakaway opportunity. Campbell tied the match at 22:15 with an unassisted goal, then assisted Hudson's go-ahead goal at 26:02.

Gray scored his first goal exactly two minutes later, pushing the lead to 3-1. Gray followed with another goal at 29:54 after receiving an assist from Hudson. 

Perry punctuated the first half scoring at 39:02 with his third goal of the season. Junior defender Kale Timmons (Granville, Ohio/Granville) provided the assist on Perry's goal.

Gray completed his hat trick 4:30 into the second half, giving him a conference-leading 11 goals this season. Garcia and senior forward Ryan Merrick (Cranberry Township, Pa./Eden Christian) assisted the goal.

Garcia closed the scoring at 52:15 by converting a penalty kick into his second goal of the season.

The Wolverines finished the match with a 21-3 edge in shots, including a 12-2 margin in shots on goal. Grove City accumulated a dozen corner kicks while Chatham had two corner kicks. 

Sophomore goalkeeper Keller Krieger (Jacksonville, Fla./Providence) made one save to earn the victory. 

Gray has moved into a tie for sixth place in program history with 35 goals. Christian Caporaso also scored 35 goals from 2016 to 2019. Gray also tied Caporaso for sixth place in program history with 88 points. Both men are tied for third in program history with 18 assists. 

Grove City will host Westminster at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday in conference action at Don Lyle Field.