Grantham, PA – Messiah College scored once early and once late in a 2-0 win over Lebanon Valley in the MAC Commonwealth Semifinal. Nikkie Elsaesser and Kate Shults tallied the goals as the Falcons' defense limited the Dutchmen to just a single shot.
 
The win pushed the No. 1 Falcons to 17-0-2 and into the conference championship on Saturday at 6:00 p.m. on Shoemaker Field. The Falcons will play No. 3 Arcadia after the Knights tallied in overtime to win 1-0 over No. 2 Stevenson.
 
Messiah held territory for the entire game even as their possession was unsettled at the beginning against the packed-in Dutchmen defense. The Falcons caught what looked to be a huge break in the 11th minute when Lebanon Valley keeper Taylor Reinhold mistakenly picked up a loose ball outside the 18 for a Messiah free kick. Marisa Weaver's attempt sailed high, however, and Messiah would have to wait another nine minutes before getting on the board.
 
In the 20th minute Elsaesser put them ahead with a terrific sidestep and shot from 20 yards out in the midfield. Kayla Deckert fed Elsaesser from the midfield line and Nikki made a great turn off one defender before pushing past another for the strike.
 
The tally was Elsaesser's 23rd of the season, tying a career-high.
 
The Falcons outshot Lebanon Valley 6-1 in the first-half, and that one shot was a terrific opportunity from the Messiah six-yard line. It came off the foot of Meghan Ross on a half-volley, but the pace was slow and Audra Larson dove to the right post to grab it just off the goal line.
 
That would be the last great opportunity for the Dutchmen, but not for Messiah. In the second-half Messiah collected another 14 shots and they hit the crossbar three times. Reinhold did come up with a few solid plays, including a terrific save on a shot by Elsaesser in the 70th minute.
 
Messiah finally broke through for a second goal in the 79th minute. Ally Reinhardt and Erin Sollenberger came together for a sharp combination to slot Kate Shults on the right side of the box, and Shults turned for a quick shot to the far post. The second tally sealed the win, especially since Lebanon Valley was hesitant to open the field for a chance to get on the board.
 
Reinhold finished with seven saves for Dutchmen, and Larson just the single save for Messiah.
 
As mentioned, Messiah will now prepare for the MAC Commonwealth Championship to be played on Shoemaker Field on Saturday at 6:00 p.m.