By Cody Swartz, GoMessiah.com reporter
Grantham, PA — Just 64 fans were present on a cold, rainy Tuesday afternoon to watch top-ranked Messiah take on Shenandoah University Tuesday afternoon at Anderson Field.
The competitiveness of the game, as it would turn out, wouldn't be much better than the weather.
Messiah — ranked atop the NFHCA/Kookaburra Top 20 Poll for the seventh consecutive week —defeated the visiting Hornets by a score of 13-0, duplicating the team's result from a year ago.
It was the Falcons' 16th consecutive win of the season, easily setting single-season high marks for goals scored and shots taken (43).
“I am very pleased with the way the second team played,” said Jan Trapp, Messiah head coach. “They really played well and executed well. They worked well together.”
After both teams played to a scoreless tie for nearly half of the first period, the Falcons' offense just exploded.
What would transpire over the final 18:32 of the opening half could be one of the greatest offensive outbursts in the history of Messiah field hockey, as the team scored eight goals in a span of just 12:55, taking a dominating, 9-0 lead into halftime.
Senior forward Katie Love started the rampage at the 16:28 clip with a goal off a series of passes from classmate Emily Sauder and junior Julie Barton, and from there, everything clicked.
“Everybody just stepped up,” Trapp said. “They all played well.”
Sauder scored an unassisted goal at 19:39. Junior Lauren Tennis scored off a pass from classmate Kourtney Ehly a minute later. Senior Jenna Max scored unassisted at 21:43. Tennis scored again, unassisted, at 23:06. Ehly – the team's leading scorer for the season – scored off a pass from Tennis at the 24:21 mark, giving the Falcons five goals in under five minutes.
Freshman Emily Hursh scored unassisted at 29:05 and junior Amber Philpot topped off the scoring for the first half with a goal of her own at the 29:23 mark. Those two goals — coming in a span of just 18 seconds — marked the fastest this season Messiah (16-0, 6-0) scored back-to-back goals.
Sadly for Shenandoah (7-10, 1-6), a team making its initial go-round as a member of the Commonwealth Conference, Messiah's offense didn't end there. The Falcons' reserves effectively kept the pressure on the Hornets, as sophomore Kilee Rosenberry notched the team's 10th goal of the day just 2:15 into the final period. Junior Katrina Campbell scored at 59:05 off a pass from freshman Juliana Hershey, and Hershey scored a goal of her own at 65:16.
With just under three minutes to play, freshman Kaitlin Smith scored a goal unassisted and Campbell finished off the scoring with a goal off a pass from Smith to put the finishing touches on the most lopsided win of the season for the Falcons.
In all, eleven different players scored goals for Messiah and every member of the team was able to see significant playing time. The Falcons controlled possession virtually the entire game, as they ended the game with a huge advantage in shots (43-1) and penalty corners (19-1).
“Everyone did a great job,” Trapp said. “It was a good game and we have a strong bench. Some of the freshmen are coming along really strong. It was fun to watch them and see what they've learned in an actual game situation, knowing that some of them are going to be in starting positions next year.”
While Messiah's offense was dominant, Trapp's defense was never tested, holding Shenandoah to just one shot and one penalty corner on the day — both coming long after the game was decided.
Senior goalie Ashley Mowery played a shutout first half, before giving way to freshman Angie Klaczak in the second, who allowed no goals in her longest in-game action of the season.
The Falcons have just one remaining regular-season contest before heading into the Commonwealth Conference Tournament as the league's top seed. The team will travel to Arcadia University on Thursday for a 4 p.m. matchup with the Knights.
