Lacrosse Under the Lights: Men’s Lacrosse Win First Ever Home Night Game

Posted By Gettysburgian Staff on Mar 26, 2025 | 0 comments

Bullets fans filled Musselman Stadium for the game following the tailgate. (Grace Jurchak/The Gettysburgian)

By Max Ferguson, Staff Writer

Over the weekend, Bullets men’s lacrosse played in their first ever nighttime home game in Musselman Stadium during a matchup against the Swarthmore Garnet. The event game itself was accompanied by a second “Under The Lights” tailgate put on by the college in collaboration with student organizations who were able to claim tailgate spaces for themselves. Like the proceedings for the football tailgate, Dining Services put on a barbecue that students attended in lieu of Servo dinner. Barbecue fare, namely dining service’s well-received brisket, was on the menu. 

Servo served dinner at the tailgate. (Alice Van Etten/The Gettysburgian)

The tailgate was also a host provider, with guests of age being able to get beer or cider. The event was received well by parents, students and fans alike. When asked about the event Axel Barrantes ’26 said “amazing brisket, loved the host provider, I missed the game because I was sleepy but I bet they won as per usual”. The college has been putting a strong emphasis on the lights as both a call to action to donors but also a way to get fans in the stands for Bullets athletic events. The under the lights tailgate for both the Football and Lacrosse teams serves as a proof of concept for a strong support network from administration. A continuation of these promotions in other sports would give the Bullets athletics department a leg up on other small market D3 teams. 

The Bullets have faced off against steep non-conference competition. Some of the Bullets notable wins this season include taking down #12 ranked University of Lynchburg their season opener, #19 ranked Stevenson College, and #9 ranked Washington and Lee. The Bullets came up short against #3 Salisbury University. However, they only trailed by a point when the game went final. The ability to go toe to toe with the best teams in the nation has not gone unnoticed. Since the beginning of the season, the Bullets have steadily climbed the national ranks.

The USILA Div. II preseason coaches’ poll had Gettysburg ranked #19. In the most recent poll conducted on March 24, the Bullets were ranked #7. Week after week, the team has been steadily climbing the national rankings. However, their biggest jump in the rankings came in between weeks one and two when the team jumped five places in the rankings to go from #19 to #12. Since then, the team has advanced one or two places week after week. Their steady climb put them at #8 prior to the opening faceoff against Swarthmore, who arrived at Musselman Stadium ranked #12 nationally. 

The Garnet drew first blood in the sixth minute, however, it would be their lone goal in the first quarter. The Bullets answered with three goals of their own. Brian Delduchetto ’25, Jack Dunleavy ’25, and Jackson Barroll ’28 scored in the first respectively. After the first 15 minutes had passed, the Garnet had clearly made adjustments at the break. Swarthmore answered the Bullet’s first quarter campaign with five goals in the second quarter. The Bullets were unable to match the pace, as Gettysburg’s sole scorer in the second quarter was Charlie Johnson ’27. As the halftime bell rang, both teams knew they were in for another 30 minutes of war under the lights. 

The Bullets especially knew the pressure was on. Losing at a game with such fanfare and hype drawn around it would be unacceptable for a team with such a storied history. Charlie Johnson ’27 completed his hat trick by putting the first score of the second half on the board. Swarthmore answered with two more goals of their own. Johnson ’27 closed out the quarter as he opened it with another goal to close the gap. Heading into the final quarter of play, the Bullets were down by a point. The pressure to pull ahead was not higher. 

There was a consensus among the team that such a storied moment in the program’s history, especially in the purview of students, parents, alum, administrators and donors. Knowing this, the team put on an immaculate scoring run. In one minute and sixteen seconds, the Bullets scored three goals. Jackson Barroll ’28 scored another goal and Charlie Johnson ’27 hat trickled twice over with two more goals in the frenzy. Patrick Marooney ’27 and Ethan Kessler ’26 tacked on goals of their own to make the score 12-10 in the final seconds of play. 

However, a faceoff violation with less than a second on the clock gave Swarthmore one last look at the cage. Even though they made good on the attempt, it was all for naught. The score was 12-11 at the final buzzer. 

This game was a strong showing for the Bullets as they entered conference play. The storied team hopes to continue their historic success as they enter a competitive field. The Bullets play their next game away at Muhlenberg on Saturday, March 29.