By Cody Swartz, GoMessiah.com reporter
Grantham, PA — It wasn't the weather Messiah may have wished for during their Centennial Homecoming weekend, but the Falcons played through the cold and the rain, earning a hard-fought 4-1 victory over visiting Widener University Saturday afternoon.
On a day that saw both the men's and women's soccer games postponed due to the weather conditions — and subsequently putting a kibosh on the finale of the institution's 100th Homecoming celebration — the field hockey game was the only sporting event of the day. Playing on a squishy yet stable Anderson Field, the Falcons took advantage of two goals each by senior Katie Love and junior Kourtney Ehly — the team's two top scorers for the season — and a strong defensive effort to earn the team's 13th win of the season as many games.
The Falcons, who entered the game as the No. 1 team in the nation in the latest NFHCA/Kookaburra Top 20 Coaches Poll, are likely to retain their ranking following a solid effort against a talented opponent.
“I think the team played pretty well today,” said Jan Trapp, Messiah head coach. “I was happy to come away with a win.”
Love started Saturday's scoring 9:58 into the game with a goal off a pass from Ehly. Ehly then scored a goal of her own just over two minutes later, taking a pass from senior Liz Ziegler for her team-leading 15th of the season.
“(Kourtney and Katie) have worked together so well,” Trapp said. “They're playing extremely well with each other, and when you add the mids who are feeding them the ball, this is just a really good group.”
The 2-0 lead stood for most of the half, as strong defense from both sides kept the game scoreless for close to 20 minutes of action. Messiah (13-0, 4-0) continued to dominate the field position battle, as it would finish with a 26-2 advantage in total shots and a 21-1 lead in penalty corners.
The tandem of Love-to-Ehly struck again right before the half, as Love notched her second goal of the game and 14th of the season at the 31:48 mark, giving the Falcons a 3-0 halftime lead.
“(That goal) was scored on one of the most amazing passing sequences I have ever seen in college field hockey,” said Trapp. “The way the girls passed the ball up the field without it even being touched by the defense was simply great.”
Ehly scored again just over 12 minutes into the second half, her second of the day and eighth in the last three games.
“(The coaches and I) knew heading into this season that if Kourtney hit her stride, she would be this good,” Trapp said. “She is just an amazing athlete, and she is getting better every time she steps out onto the field.”
Perhaps the only downer of the day — aside from the weather — was Messiah's allowing Widener (8-4, 1-2) a goal with just three and a half minutes remaining in the contest. The Pride's Jackie Elliot scored off a pass from teammate Ellen Etzweiler to put the visitors on the board in moot fashion.
That goal broke the Falcons' run of three consecutive shutouts and just over 280 straight minutes of play without allowing a goal, a streak that dated back to a 6-1 win over William Smith College on Oct. 3.
Messiah will return to Commonwealth Conference action Wednesday night at Anderson Field, as the Falcons will host seventh-ranked Lebanon Valley College in one of the most anticipated match-ups of the season. The Dutchmen currently boast a 13-1 record overall, and will arrive to Grantham carrying a 12-game winning streak.
“Lebanon Valley is a wonderful team, no doubt,” Trapp said. “To win this, we'll need to just be ready and play our very best game.”
Wednesday's game time is set for 7 p.m.
