Grantham, PA — Pretty soccer in the midfield may have been aesthetically pleasing, but it wasn't what led fourth-ranked Messiah to a 2-0 win over Eastern University Wednesday afternoon.
A gritty stretch of just over three minutes inside the Eagles' 18-yard box was the difference according to Falcons head coach Scott Frey, as Messiah (11-0-1) posted scores at the 65:56 and 69:05 marks to roll up its third straight shut-out win.
“Eastern is a very good team that is very well coached,” Frey said. “The question today was, who was going to win the battle inside the 18. We were fine in the midfield and I thought our backs were great, but it was going to take extra effort from someone in the 18 for us to be successful today.”
Nearly a period and a half of scoreless soccer proved Frey's point Wednesday, as Eastern (5-5) came in to Shoemaker Field with a strong mindset. The only program to force Messiah into an overtime affair last season, the Eagles showed speed and skill in negating 11 first-period Falcon shots while putting up five total attempts of their own — a number better than the total shots taken from six Messiah opponents this season.
“Make no mistake, Eastern's record is not indicative of how good they are,” Frey said. “They have pace and skill. You give them a half a step, and they're dangerous. A couple times tonight they almost got that half step.”
Messiah would eventually lay claim to the game's only scoring outburst midway through the second period, however, as senior Rachel Horning took a throw in from the right side of the field with just over 24 minutes to play. Getting extra distance on the toss via flip-throw, Horning sent a ball into the box that was headed to the far post by freshman Olivia Scott.
Junior Amy Horst was there to settle Scott's direction, blasting a shot from six yards out that banged into the bottom of the cross bar before bouncing off the turf and into the top of the net for a 1-0 advantage.
Perhaps stunned by the double-assisted score, Eastern allowed another Messiah crack just over three minutes later. Junior Amanda Naeher collected a ball inside the Eagles' 18-yard box and laid off a nifty drop pass to senior Kacie Klynstra, who fired a low beam to the far post from just inside the top of the penalty area. It was Klynstra's first goal of the season, giving Messiah some room to breathe.
Or not.
“I didn't feel comfortable today until the final whistle sounded,” Frey said. “They're just too capable of a team to relax against. Kacie's goal was huge, obviously, and she picked a good time to get her first goal of the year.”
Frey's club finished with a 21-5 advantage in total shots and an 8-2 prosperity in shots on goal, as senior goalkeeper Brindley Beckwith charted her fourth shut out of the year with two saves.
That stat was perhaps more enjoyable thanks to the fact that Brindley's younger sister — Eastern freshman forward Tess Beckwith — fired both shots on frame for the Eagles.
“I thought our back row defense, along with Brin, was really good,” Frey said. “We didn't allow many good looks for (Eastern's) Jill DiRenzo, and Kacie did a great job controlling the midfield against (Eastern's) Ashley Hackman. I thought we played decent in the first half, but Eastern made it tough on our wings and defended us well. I thought that the group that came in for us was a big key today. Olivia was dangerous, Amy was dangerous, (freshman) Rachel Loya. . .being able to keep pressure on when you make changes is so important. Overall, it was a good result against a very good team today.”
Messiah will not have long to enjoy the victory, as the team will next host Haverford College Saturday at Shoemaker Field. Game time is set for 1 p.m.
