Grantham, PA — For most of the umbrella-wielding fans at Anderson Field, Saturday's conditions were a ubiquitous downer.
The fourth-ranked Messiah field hockey program didn't seem to mind at all, however.
Even a wind-whipped deluge could not detract from Messiah's come-from-behind, 3-1 win over top-ranked The College of New Jersey, as the Falcons snapped a seven-game Lions' winning streak while collecting their seventh win over a top-15 rated opponent this year. A TCNJ score just 1:22 into play was rebuked with solid field hockey by the hosts for the remainder of the contest, as Messiah (12-1) raced to its 10th consecutive victory.
“I thought we were a little too tentative early, but we slowly got into a rhythm today,” said Jan Trapp, Messiah head coach. “We started to challenge every ball and our intensity became simply awesome. I think we were all very pleased with how we competed today.”
It did not appear to be the Falcons' day early, as TCNJ (12-2) took the opening tap and quickly asserted itself for the contest's first penalty corner. The Lions' Jackie Gelinas slammed a shot past Messiah's rushing defense with just 1:22 elapsed, giving TCNJ a 1-0 lead and — according to Trapp — a wake-up call for her club.
“We started the game standing and reaching, and if you don't challenge the ball against a team the quality of TCNJ, they will make you pay,” she said. “We kind of waited to see what they were going to do with it. I thought that after they scored, we gradually began to play the way we are capable.”
Trapp's sentiments were visible in the area of possession, as Messiah slowly began to control the pace after the Lions' initial tally. Much of the game's first 10 minutes occurred in the middle third of the field, but the Falcons gradually moved the overall action into TCNJ's defensive third, as evidenced by a 15-3 difference in first-half shots and a 11-2 disparity in first-half corners.
That pressure finally broke through the Lions' back line at the 30:33 mark, as sophomore Julie Barton was able to rip a clean shot toward the TCNJ cage after receiving a corner. Some deft stick work freed Barton from the oncoming defense, while her shot was deflected into the back of the cage by classmate Lauren Tennis.
Showing an unusual amount of exuberance following the game-tying slot, Messiah did not waste much time putting the game winner on the board. Junior Katie Love found herself in the right place at the right time less than two and a half minutes later, sending a trickling effort past the outstretched glove of TCNJ keeper Shannon Syciarz at the 32:53 mark. Love's shot came after a scramble in front of the Lions' cage, just oozing over the end line inside the right pipe.
“We began challenging (TCNJ's) triangle passes, and I think that frustrated them a bit,” Trapp said. “On our side, we had some really good passes. We began challenging every ball, and that gave us some opportunities. At halftime, I told the team that I thought there were three really close (scoring) calls in the first half. I thought we had them concerned with our pressure up front, and we encouraged our girls to keep that pressure on in the second (half).”
Messiah was rewarded just over five minutes into play with an insurance goal, as a nearly identical reproduction of the Falcons' first score occurred at the 40:40 mark. Receiving a pass near the top of the circle, Barton fired another laser toward the far post of the TCNJ cage, only for Tennis to change the direction of the ball — giving Barton her second assist of the afternoon and Tennis her second goal.
As the rain and wind refused to cease, the quality of play intensified. Tennis was whistled for a yellow card just moments following her second goal — at the 41:15 mark — putting Messiah a man down for the contest's next five minutes.
TCNJ would narrow the statistical difference in the second half (the Lions took five corners to the Falcons' two while Messiah possessed just a 7-6 advantage in shots), but some steady defense foiled all TCNJ attempts. Junior Ashley Mowery finished with five saves in goal — all in the second half — while Messiah got a pair of one-on-one, counter-attack transition attempts with Syciarz in the game's final 15 minutes. The Lions' keeper, who finished with 10 saves, thwarted both efforts.
“As the field got wetter and wetter, both teams kept slipping,” Trapp said. “I think a few times it looked like we were knocking each other down, but it was actually the wet turf. We played our first four games in the rain, so I think we weren't bothered by this as much as we could have been.”
The win capped an enormous week of play for the Falcons, as Messiah dealt 13th-ranked Elizabethtown College a 3-1 defeat Wednesday afternoon. That win assured the Falcons of home field advantage throughout the upcoming MAC Commonwealth Conference Playoffs. Saturday's result constituted the program's first win over a top-ranked team since last season, when Messiah dealt then number one Ursinus College a 3-2 loss Sept. 18 at Anderson Field.
With Saturday serving as Messiah's final regular-season home contest of the year, the program honored its three senior members with flowers and introductions prior to the start of the game. Families and parents joined seniors Nikki Bailey, Renee Herbster and Beth Sandowich for a brief (and damp) pre-game ceremony.
Trapp said there is much more business to take care of before the seniors are officially done.
“We're happy with the way we've been playing, but we all understand the upcoming weeks are when it gets really fun,” she said. “We're playing with a lot of momentum right now and the girls are really adapting to each other.”
Messiah will close out its regular season with a pair of road contests, first traveling to Washington & Jefferson College Wednesday for a 7 p.m. game. The team will then finish MAC Commonwealth play at Widener University Saturday at 1 p.m. League playoffs are scheduled to begin Wednesday, Nov. 5.
