GRANTHAM, Pa. - Messiah men's lacrosse raced out to an early lead and never looked back against Grove City College, defeating the Wolverines 15-5 on Wednesday night.

Today's game marked the first-ever NCAA Division III men's lacrosse contest for Grove City, and they came out strong, holding Messiah to just two goals in the first quarter. However, the Falcons scored six in the second period to take an 8-1 lead into halftime and would lead by as much as 11 before all was said and done.

Dylan Gillisse and Joseph Franken each scored five goals for Messiah, with Gillisse adding two assists and Franken one. Liam Lilienthal also had a hat trick and an assist, and Garrett Amsbaugh chipped in with a goal and three helpers. Lucas Honebrink was unstoppable on faceoffs, winning 16 of the 21 that he took and picking up 10 groundballs.

Much of the play during the game was on Messiah's attacking end, as the Falcons outshot the Wolverines 46 to 12, including 9 to 0 in the first quarter. Messiah also had a big advantage in shots on goal, earning four times as more (28 to 7). However, when Grove City got good chances, they were able to convert as the visitors scored goals on five of the seven shots they put on frame. Four of those five came from sophomore Henry Brannan, who also took nine of Grove City's 12 shots in the game.

The energy and excitement on the Grove City sideline was overflowing as the Wolverines looked to have a good start to their inaugural men's lacrosse season, and many fans made the trip down to watch the opener as well. That energy was channeled on the defensive end early, as Messiah had more turnovers (3) than shots taken (2) in the first five minutes. However, Dylan Gillisse would then quickly break the Falcons into the scoring column with a goal at the 9:21 mark. Grove City kept fighting, though, and held the Falcons to just one more goal in the period, a Joseph Franken man-up score at the 3:55 mark for a 2-0 lead.

The second quarter was a different story, as after Franken made it 3-0 with a goal right around the 10-minute mark, Messiah rattled off three more scores in a span of 80 seconds between 6:52 and 5:32 on the clock without the Wolverines even touching the ball. Gillisse notched the first two tallies of that stretch, with Franken adding the third.

There was cause for celebration for what happened next for Grove City, as with just under five minutes to play in the first-half, Henry Brannan was able to catch the Falcon defense sleeping and fire in a score that marked the first goal in Wolverine program history. However, Messiah would counter with two more quick goals from the sticks of Franken and Liam Lilienthal, and the Falcons took an 8-1 lead into the break.

Messiah recorded the first two goals of the second-half, as Hunter Bellows scored and Dylan Gillisse registered his fourth of the game. Grove City went on a bit of a run towards the end of the third quarter, achieving a pair of man-up scores to cut the deficit to 11-3 in favor of the Falcons. Messiah quickly shut down any hint of a comeback to begin the final period, scoring two goals in the first 82 seconds and going on to win by a final score of 15-5.

Messiah moves to 1-2 on the season while Grove City falls to 0-1.

The Falcons will next travel to Gwynedd Mercy College on Saturday for a 1:00 p.m. start.