Greensboro, NC – With apologies to Jackie Chiles, using the words 'cruise control' to describe Messiah's NCAA post-season journey could be considered by some as outrageous, egregious, preposterous.
But it would also be accurate.
Messiah raced past fifth-ranked William Smith College by a 3-0 score in Friday night's NCAA Division III Women's Soccer National Semi-Final, setting up yet another meeting with Wheaton College Saturday afternoon for the latest national championship. Friday's win served as the Falcons' third by three goals or more in this year's NCAA Tournament, putting the team's overall post-season scoring tally at 15-1. Since October 1st, Messiah has outscored its opponents by a 68-2 difference, winning its last 16 games.
While impressive, those numbers have nothing to do with the future – which in this case is a showdown with Wheaton, winners of three of the last four national championships and spoilers of Messiah's bid for last year's title (the Thunder defeated the Falcons by a 1-0 score in the '07 national championship game).
That seemed to be the hot topic in Friday's post-game press conference, as Messiah's rout of William Smith (16-2-5) was discussed almost as an afterthought – at least to most everyone outside of Messiah head coach Scott Frey.
“William Smith came in here tonight and pressured us extremely hard,” Frey said to a throng of reporters at Macpherson Stadium late Friday night. “They came with a plan and really got after us with their athleticism and quickness. They gave us a hard time all over the field, especially early.”
While Friday's game stats would rebut the notion that the game was close (Messiah finished with a 19-3 advantage in total shots and a 12-1 edge in shots on goal), a combination of the scoreboard and a wrist watch would prove otherwise. Frey's club didn't get on the board until 34:22 in, tacking on additional markers at the 68:14 and 79:12 clips for the final score.
The most tense moments came early on, as William Smith's constant ball pressure made it difficult for Messiah (23-0-2) to put many combinations together. And while the Herons were unable to put any shots on the Falcons' cage, they did keep much of the possession in the middle third of the field.
“Our hope was that if we could sustain early, (William Smith) would have a hard time keeping that type of pressure up for the duration,” Frey said.
Messiah got the game-winner off the foot of sophomore Erin Hench with just over 34 minutes elapsed, as the forward took a feed from junior Amy Horst on the defensive side of midfield before dribbling all the way into William Smith's box – all with four Smith defenders giving chase. Hench finally unleashed a low blast that beat Herons' goalkeeper Amanda Davis to the far post, taking her shot from just inside the 18-yard box on the left-hand side.
Hench's 20th goal of the season, it erased a scoreless tie that had much to do with Davis, as the William Smith keeper already had recorded four of her seven saves at that point.
“(Amanda Davis) was spectacular,” Frey said. “She made several incredible saves that we all thought were goals. She played exceptionally well.”
Perhaps a combination of William Smith fatigue and a renewed push following its first-half score, Messiah seemed to increase its opportunities and possession control as the game went on. The second period began to feature an increasing amount of shots on the Herons' cage, though none would break through until the 68th minute.
Junior Amanda Naeher had a certain score just over five minutes into the stanza, firing a laser into the goalmouth that was somehow deflected by a leaping Davis – a save that drew gasps from the crowd and a look of astonishment from Naeher herself. Just three minutes later, senior Kacie Klynstra was able to find room for a blast at the top of the William Smith box, only to send her effort screaming over the crossbar.
Davis came up with yet another amazing save on a Naeher shot just a minute later, while a second breakaway opportunity for Hench with 57:45 elapsed was cleared off the line at the last possible moment by a Herons' defender following a collision between Hench and Davis.
When Naeher pushed a point-blank effort wide with 26:35 remaining, it seemed only a matter of time before the Falcons would break through.
Four minutes later, it happened.
Naeher took a feed from junior Katlyn Musser and slid into a shot that nearly put a hole into the back of the net, sending an absolute rocket into the upper corner at the 68:14 mark.
Klynstra then tacked on an insurance goal 11 minutes later, one-touching a gradual cross from freshmen Olivia Scott and Rachel Loya into the back of the net with 79:12 gone.
It was at that point that many began thinking about Wheaton (22-3-2), as the 22nd-ranked Thunder defeated top-ranked Williams College (19-1-1) by a 3-1 score in Friday's first women's semi-final. A re-match of last year's national championship game, it will also give Klynstra another opportunity to face her twin sister, Kari, a senior midfielder/forward for Wheaton.
“What more can you ask for as a senior than to play for another national championship?” Kacie Klynstra asked rhetorically in Friday's press conference. “We've really come together this year. There's a chemistry here that's hard to put into words. We have 23 girls fighting for the same thing. Tomorrow, it will be important for us to stay focused and not worry about family relationships.”
Saturday will serve as Messiah's fourth appearance in a national championship, also serving as the third time the Falcons' women's team has played for a national title on the same day as the Messiah men's soccer squad. The Falcons' men defeated Loras College by a 3-0 score in Friday's national semi-final to advance. The teams now have a chance to duplicate the 2005 double national championship – a feat that has never been repeated at any level of collegiate soccer.
Messiah's women will face the Thunder at 5 p.m. Saturday at Macpherson Stadium at Bryan Park, hosted by Greensboro College. Live streaming video of the contest is available through NCAA.com, while live audio will be provided by WVMM. Additional links providing game coverage can be found at the host institution championship site.
