Commonwealth Semifinals: Friday, Nov. 2, at Messiah College
No. 1 Messiah vs. No. 4 Arcadia, 4:00 p.m.
Tickets: Adults $5, Seniors $4, Students $2, Children 6-under Free
Grantham, PA – Messiah College field hockey will look to earn their sixth-straight Commonwealth Championship this weekend, as they enter the annual league playoff with a No. 1 seed.
Season Snapshot
Before the 2012 season began the Falcons had not lost a regular-season conference matchup in 25 tries dating back to 2007. After completing this season a perfect 8-0, the Falcons have secured their fifth-straight undefeated Commonwealth regular-season and pushed their win streak to 33 games.
Nearly every statistical category belonged to the Falcons this season, except goals scored and goals per game. In some instances, the Falcons dominated. The Falcons trailed just once in conference play, a total of 2:23 during a late-September game at Lebanon Valley. The Falcons would come back to top the Dutchmen 2-1 in that game.
Out of conference, the Falcons had similar success en route to a 15-3 overall record, playing what may be considered the toughest schedule in the conference. The Falcons played 10 games against nationally ranked opponents this season, utilizing their strong defense to win games. The Falcons' defense ranks fifth in the nation with a 0.72 goals against average.
Scouting the Falcons
When a team can be as effective as the Falcons have been this season on both sides of the ball it is easy to see why this squad—currently ranked No. 9 in the most recent NFHCA polls—finished a perfect 8-0 in conference play.
The Falcons' defense led the conference in goals against average, allowing just three goals in eight games for a 0.38 mark. Goalkeeper
Molly Gebrosky and company have posted a conference-leading five shutouts; the next closest team being fourth-seeded Alvernia with two. Gebrosky leads the conference in save percentage at .857 with three goals allowed on 21 shots.
The Falcons are just as impressive on the offensive side of the field. Led by senior
Emily Hursh (5g, 6a) and sophomore
Heather Quirk (7g), the Falcons boast a 4.12 goals per game average, second only to Lebanon Valley's 4.64 GPG. Couple the goals scored per game with the Falcons' stifling 0.38 goals against average and the end result is an 8-0 conference record.
Scouting the Field
No. 2 Lebanon Valley – The Dutchmen boast the league's top offense (4.64 GPG) and leading scorer, Cate Cusack. Cusack's 13 goals were a league-best, two more than Arcadia's Jennie Kamel. Behind Cusack's 28 points, the Dutchmen scored a league-leading 37 goals. LVC went 6-2 in conference play taking losses to Messiah and Arcadia.
No. 3 Elizabethtown – The Blue Jays finished conference play with a 1.38 goals against average, allowing just 11 goals over their eight conference games. The Blue Jays defense ranked just behind the Falcons in a number of defensive statistical categories including goals against per game, scoring margin, and goals allowed. With a 6-2 conference record, the Blue Jays dropped contests to both the Falcons and Dutchmen and finished the season 13-4 overall. Nadine Yunginger leads the Blue Jays offensively with 18 points against Commonwealth opponents.
No. 4 Arcadia – The Knights' Jennie Kamel (11g, 1a) and Marilyn Beatty (6g, 7a) finished second and third, respectively, in the conference in points scored. Kamel was second in the league with 11 goals, leading the Knights the third-best scoring average of 3.01 goals per game. The Knights found a knack for being rewarded penalty corners, taking a conference-best 107 corners over eight games, seven more than the Falcons.
When they met: The Knights held the Falcons potent offense in check for 41 minutes of play until senior
Emily Hursh scored the first of three goals in a five-minute span
in a Falcons' 3-0 win.
Messiah's Commonwealth Championships History
The Falcons earned their fifth-consecutive Commonwealth Championship in 2011, defeating Alvernia University 7-1. Over their five-year streak, the Falcons have outscored their opponents 19-6 in the conference final.
