Wheeling, W. Va. - The Mountain State rivalry came to Bishop Schmitt Field on Tuesday night as the Wheeling University Men's Lacrosse team (7-6, 6-3) battled Davis & Elkins. The Cardinal's offense led the way, putting up 23 goals as they clinched a first-round home playoff game and the #4 seed in the 2025 Great Midwest Athletic Conference (GMAC) Tournament with a 23-6 win over the Senators. Eight different Cardinals got in on the action during the evening, but it would be the historic performance from Jack Rowe that would lead the Cardinals on the night.
Rowe would finish the day with 10 goals and four assists to total 14 points in the regular season finale. The effort would help Rowe break the single-game points record of 11, held by former Cardinal Mike Andersson, and helped him tie the single-game goal record of 10, also held by Andersson. Rowe would be the one to get the offense started, scoring at the 9:10 marl of the first quarter and added the second goal of the day just under a minute later to give the Cardinals a 2-0 lead. He would add three more goals and one assist in the quarter and the Cardinals had built a 9-0 lead. By halftime, Rowe was sitting at five goals and one assists and needed five more goals and four points to tie the goals and points records respectively. He would tie the single-game points record on the final goal of the third quarter, adding two goals and two assists to sit at 11 points on the night.
Rowe would need three more goals to break the single-game goal record heading into the fourth quarter and fired off the first two goals of the quarter to get to nine goals on the day. With the single-game points record in his hand, Head Coach Gage Bradshaw would send Rowe back on the field with two and a half minutes to go, looking for the final goal. Rowe would fire off his first shot at the 1:17 mark and sent it over the net. After back-to-back Cardinal shots, Rowe would get the ball in is stick and made the move in front of the net. He would fire the shot into the back of the net and the Cardinals would get to their final score of 23-6. It was Rowe's 10th goal of the day, wrapping up the historic day for the junior. He tied the single-game goal record, set back in 2023, and broke the points record, which has stood during that same time period.
Finishing right behind him was Ty Taylor, who finished with eight points on the night (five goals and three assists). He would end up playing a big part in Rowe's success, with all three of his assists coming on Rowe goals, while Rowe would assist Taylor on two of his five goals on the day. After Rowe got the scoring started, Taylor would keep it going with back-to-back goals that made it a 4-0 Wheeling advantage. He would add two more goals in the game's second quarter, and helped Wheeling build an 11-1 lead over the first 27 minutes of play. Taylor's final goal would come at the start of the third quarter, where he notched the team's 13th goal of the day to get them to a 13-2 advantage. It was a big showing for Taylor, who eclipsed the five-goal mark for the third time this season and looks to continue his success into the postseason.
The final two multi-goal scorers on the day for the Cardinals were Dylan Lavern and Nate Castner, who each finished with two. Lavern would finish tied for second on the team with three assists, to total five points in the affair. Lavern assisted on Taylor's first goal of the night and added his first goal just before the half that sent the Cardinals into the locker room with a 12-2 lead. As the reserves began to make their way in, Lavern showed leadership during the second half, adding two more assists and one more goal to round out his day. After playing in the midfield for most of the season, Nate Castner got a chance to move up to Attack in the second half and made the most of the opportunity. He scored his firs goal of the season at the 10 minute mark of the third quarter, and added his first career multi-goal game halfway through that third quarter to round out the day.
The final three goals of the night came from Dakota Strong, Ryder McCall, Owen Doyle, and Brenner Chase who each finished with one on the day. Chase would add two assists in the effort to lead the group with three points, finishing fourth on the team in that category. On the defensive end, Austin Hall would get the start in net, playing just under 38 minutes and making 11 saves on 13 shots faced. Christopher Burlingame entered with 22 minutes to play, and faced 12 shots while making eight saves to round out the night. Along with his offensive prowess, Taylor would lead the defense with four caused turnovers, followed closely by Landon Gallagher, who added three on the day.
The Wheeling University Men's Lacrosse team returns to action for the Quarterfinal Round of the GMAC Tournament, when they host #5 seeded Davenport with opening face-off at 2 PM.
