Collegeville, PA — When the Messiah College field hockey program defeated Ursinus College in an early-season game two years ago, head coach Jan Trapp said her younger players had not realized what they accomplished at the time.
Saturday afternoon at a rain-swept Eleanor Frost Snell Alumnae Field, she made sure they did.
Seventh-ranked Messiah withstood an onslaught of offense from the fourth-ranked Bears to capture a 3-2 overtime decision, the Falcons' third straight regular-season win over Ursinus and first overtime win since a Oct. 23 thriller over Elizabethtown College by the same count last season.
Transfer sophomore Julie Barton scored a rebound goal 6:03 into Saturday's first overtime session to set off a field-rushing celebration for the Falcons, as Messiah blasted five penalty corners in that period to aid in the win.
“This was a great win for us, especially when you consider everything that's been going on within our team,” said Hall of Famer Trapp afterward. “We had a couple key players coming off of very serious illnesses, and you're never sure what to expect when something like that happens. We have a lot to get better at, but this was a great start.”
Heavy rains and a frenetic pace marked the majority of Saturday's action, as Tropical Storm Hanna hammered the area all afternoon. Ursinus (1-1) scored first off of one of its 15 corners on the day, breaking through at the 21:11 mark in the first half.
Messiah (1-0) responded just 19 seconds later, however, as senior Nikki Bailey took a pass from junior Emily Sauder on the restart. Racing down the field with reckless abandon, Bailey scored from the top of the circle before the Bears had time to compose themselves.
“That may have taken the wind out of their sails,” Trapp said of Bailey's counter. “It happened so, so fast after they had worked to get a 1-0 lead. It also gave us some confidence.”
Trapp's team got on the board for a second time under six minutes later, as junior Jenna Max took an assist from sophomore Lauren Tennis and scored into the right side of the cage.
Ursinus was able to tie the game moments before the halftime break, however, again converting off a corner at the 32:28 mark.
The second half proved to be a defensive showcase for the Falcons, as Messiah's defense successfully thwarted 21 of a total 23 Ursinus shots on goal. The Bears were awarded two penalty strokes during play as well, with both being snuffed by junior goalkeeper Ashley Mowery.
It was, perhaps, a promising sign, as Messiah faced just four penalty strokes in all of last season.
“As the game wore on, our defense just played better and better,” Trapp said. “Our backs came up with a bunch of great saves, and Ashley was just incredible against the penalty strokes.”
As overtime began, Messiah again had to rely on its back row, as Ursinus collected five more penalty corners in the first five minutes of action. Junior Brittany Godshall then sent a long ball downfield with just under six minutes elapsed, and Sauder sprinted after it.
Taking the ball into the Bears' circle, Sauder fired a shot that was deflected by an Ursinus defender. Barton was there to collect the rebound, however, chipping a shot into the upper corner of the cage to set off a scene of pandemonium on the Falcons' sidelines.
“Julie's (game winner) was a beautiful shot,” Trapp said. “There was no saving that shot.”
Saves did come aplenty on Messiah's behalf, as Mowery finished with 10 in goal while Godshall carded eight in the backfield. The win complemented a 3-2 regular-season victory at Messiah last season and the aforementioned 7-3 win at Ursinus in 2006. The Bears came back to defeat Messiah in the 2006 NCAA Division III National Championship game, however, by a 3-2 score.
“(In 2006), our freshmen had no clue what they had accomplished when we won up here,” Trapp said Saturday. “I think this year's group has a much better idea, given our recent history. We had three really good practices this week, and we executed some things really well today. Overall, however, we will have to play at a better level as the season progresses. We persevered today. The girls never gave up and fought until the end. We're still figuring a lot of things out. . .who's playing what position, how we can best use the strength of our bench. This was a great start.”
Messiah will stay on the road in its next contest, as the team will travel to Eastern University Tuesday afternoon. Game time is set for 4 p.m.
