Box Score
Selinsgrove, PA — Just days after hanging on at the very end to hand 20th-ranked Dickinson College a 14-13 loss, the Messiah College women's lacrosse team was at it again, taking to the road Saturday for a 13-11 win at Susquehanna University.
Messiah (3-3) utilized a pair of 5-0 runs that served as bookends for the game, holding on despite a strong Susquehanna push that surrounded both sides of halftime.
The result gave first-year head coach Heather Greer her first career winning streak, and it was much deserved: After committing 16 major fouls in the first half, Greer settled her troops to infract just five times in the second period. With a total 48 fouls called between the teams, the officials' whistles played as big a part of the outcome as anything else.
"Midway through the first half we started fouling inside the eight (-yard box) and that was bad news for us," Greer said afterward. "Anytime you have over 15 major fouls in a half, you have to change the way you're playing to adapt to the officiating. I was so proud of how we adapted in the second half, and our second-half effort was one I will not forget."
Greer's squad jumped on the Crusaders at the game's outset, scoring the event's first five goals in a span of just five minutes. Senior Jessica Van Hook began the drive less than a minute into play via an assist from sophomore Nikki Lawrence, while an unassisted score from freshman Kara Geiman was followed by a pair of scores from junior Jackie Dando.
When freshman Megan Bovenzi scored off a Geiman assist with 26:54 to play in the first half, Messiah led 5-0 and looked to be in total control.
That was when the Falcons' physicality got the best of them.
Susquehanna (1-5) began to slowly creep back into the mix, scoring its first two goals off free positon shots at the half's 24:43 and 22:01 marks.
An unassisted goal from the Crusaders' Erin McGarrigle pulled the hosts within a 5-3 score just four minutes later, and Messiah's early momentum had been trumped.
Two scores from VanHook and another from Geiman sandwiched another Susquehanna score to make it an 8-4 game with just over 10 minutes to play in the first half, but a 4-0 Susquehanna run to close the period tied the game 8-8 at the intermission.
Three of those scores came off free positions shots, giving the hosts a perfect five for five performance in the game's first half.
"We started out strong and jumped on them early, but we gave them entirely too many chances off free position shots," Greer said. "It really is unbelievable to have that many in a half, but also to make that many."
With a new awareness of how the game was being called, it was Greer's team that responded. The Crusaders scored a quick two goals — from the field — to capture a brief, 10-8 lead at the start of the second half, but another 5-0 Messiah run would ice things. A free position shot from Geiman would begin the push, as Susquehanna became foul prone in the second half: After committing just eight fouls in the first period, the Crusaders would finish with 19 second-half infractions.
Bovenzi then came up with the game-tying and go-ahead scores at the 15:33 and 13:47 marks, both coming unassisted. VanHook followed with another solo score at the 13:02 mark, while Bovenzi tacked on another score with just 2:45 to play.
Leading 13-10 at that point, Messiah came up with key draw controls, keeping an arm's length from Susquehanna down the stretch. A score from the Crusaders provided the final margin with 2:37 on the clock, but VanHook finished with a season-high five draw controls to keep things from getting any closer.
VanHook and Bovenzi each scored four goals, while Geiman added three. Bovenzi also collected three draw controls, while junior Brianne Brennan and freshman Elizabeth Graham led the team with four ground balls apiece.
"Megan had a big day for us in the middle of the field, going four for four on field shots and getting the ball from defense to offense in a hurry," Greer said. "Jessica was also huge, coming up with an unbelievable five draw controls. Susquehanna had the last possession but our defense stayed calm enough to just hold them and not foul. They really finished the game in strong fashion, which made me extremely proud."
Messiah will next take its challenge to the conference level, as the team will open MAC play against Widener University Thursday at Anderson Field. Game time is set for 4 p.m.
