Grantham, PA — Moments after Messiah handed Lebanon Valley College a 3-2 overtime defeat in Sunday evening's NCAA Third Round thriller, Falcons head coach Jan Trapp was spotted shaking her head.
“I'm just glad we will not play them again,” she said, smiling.
Messiah successfully ran the table on LVC — thrice — with a gut-check, come-from-behind win Sunday at Anderson Field, earning the program's 13th trip to the Final Four as a result.
Junior Julie Barton scored the golden goal 5:31 into overtime, securing Messiah's second trip to the national semi-finals in as many years — coming in an eerily similar fashion to the team's 2008 run.
In last year's third-round contest, Messiah needed a miraculous goal from then-junior Elizabeth Ziegler to get past Rowan University by a 2-1 score in double-overtime. This year, it was Lebanon Valley that nearly tripped up Messiah's push.
But not quite.
“It was an absolutely wonderful game, and our kids could not be more excited,” Trapp said afterward. “I can't tell you how difficult it is to beat a team as good as Lebanon Valley three times in a season. I thought our kids just kept plugging away and just didn't give up. I couldn't be more proud of them.”
Messiah (21-0) needed a never-say-die attitude after Lebanon Valley freshman Caitlin Vasey scored the game's first marker just 7:41 into play, firing a rebound shot into the back of the cage following an initial effort from teammate Allison Bicher.
That marked only the fourth time of the year Messiah had trailed at any point of a ballgame, and when the 1-0 LVC lead stood through the intermission, the Falcons were looking at their first halftime deficit of the season.
“I honestly don't think there was one bit of panic in our huddle (at halftime),” Trapp said. “We put a tremendous amount of pressure on LVC at the very end of the first half, and even though we didn't have a goal to show for it, our attitude was, 'Okay, let's keep putting that kind of pressure on them in the second half.' I think we all felt like if we did that, we'd get on the board eventually.”
After Lebanon Valley (19-4) controlled the pace of play early in the first period, Trapp's club finished with a fury, outshooting the Dutchmen by a 9-5 count and ripping eight penalty corners to just one from LVC.
Two of those came via continuation after the first-half clock had expired, and LVC senior keeper Caitlin Baro was forced to make six first-half saves.
Almost precisely as Trapp had discussed, Messiah's push continued to mount as the second half began. Continual pressure helped the Falcons record five of the period's first six shots and, just 12 minutes in, the team's first goal of the night.
Senior Emily Sauder collected the ball on the right wing and fired a blast into the circle, the ball thumping off the padding of Baro and back into the field of play.
Junior Kourtney Ehly, who was waiting directly in front of the cage, wheeled and flicked a gorgeous putback through the congestion, tying the game at 1-1 and setting off a wild celebration on the turf.
It would be the start of a barrage on the LVC back line, as Messiah tacked on another score exactly nine minutes later.
This time, Ehly collected the ball in the middle of the field, and put on a nifty dribbling display before slipping the ball to senior Katie Love, who was posting up in front of the goal.
Love then spun and lifted a shot into the middle netting, beating Baro for her 24th goal of the season.
Now with a 2-1 Messiah lead in hand, ordered had been restored at Anderson Field.
“I really thought we played quite well throughout the game,” Trapp said. “I honestly thought it was their play in their own circle (that made things tough) more than anything else. (Baro) had a wonderful day. I've never seen their defense play as well as they did today.”
Defense aside, Love's goal forced LVC into needing another offensive play to keep its season alive. With just over five minutes to play, the Dutchmen's two-time single-season scoring leader came up with an answer.
Following a restart on the right flank, LVC's Nikki Bomberger sent a ball racing into Messiah's circle, seemingly with too much pace to be considered a valuable cross.
Somehow, Dutchmen scoring sensation Jocelyn Novak got a stick on it, pushing the redirection past senior keeper Ashley Mowery and into the back of the cage at the far post.
It was Novak's 67th career goal. Perhaps none were as important.
“She is as good as they come when it comes to finishing in the circle,” Trapp said of the Lebanon Valley sophomore. “That was really an incredible goal. LVC is a great team. We knew this would be hard.”
As overtime became apparent — a pair of kick saves from Mowery ended Lebanon Valley's final threat with just under three minutes to play in regulation — thoughts of last season's double-OT game against Rowan were palpable both in the stands and along the Falcons' sideline.
“The thing with overtime hockey is that anything can happen,” Trapp would say afterward.
Thankfully for Messiah, that 'anything' came in the form of Falcons' dominance.
Messiah recorded eight total shots to LVC's one in just over five minutes of extra time, eventually netting the game winner off the stick of the Commonwealth Player of the Year.
Following Messiah's second penalty corner of the period, Barton got in on the right side and fired a quick shot, one that was deflected by Baro.
The rebound came right back to Barton, however, and the Hummelstown, Pa. native made certain of the second chance, sliding a low roller to the far post, beating an LVC defender for the game winner.
Following the score, Barton's facial expression seemed to exude relief than anything else, as the midfielder drew a slow smile before being tackled to the ground by her teammates.
Trapp said she was not surprised — in the least — that it was Barton who would secure the team's ticket to the Final Four.
“Before the start of the overtime, I told Julie we wouldn't be calling any plays from the sideline on penalty corners,” Trapp said. “I told her, 'just do what you need to do.'”
Messiah ended with a 28-15 advantage in total shots and a 19-7 disparity in total corners, putting 21 shots on goal compared to the Dutchmen's 10.
It was the Falcons' third win over LVC on the season and second in just over two weeks, as Messiah dispatched LVC by a 2-1 score Nov. 7 for the Commonwealth Championship. Trapp's club handed the Dutchmen a 4-1 defeat Oct. 21, when the teams got together during regular-season play.
Sunday marked the 54th contest between the conference rivals, though it was the teams' first-ever meeting in NCAA Tournament play.
It also marked the first time Messiah had faced the same opponent three times in any season.
Trapp said she would be happy if it never happened again.
“It's so, so hard,” she said of going for the trifecta, “especially against a team as good as LVC and to do it all in just over three week's time. Now that it's over, though, I'm thrilled.”
Messiah — ranked atop the latest Kookaburra/NFHCA Top 20 Poll — will now meet up with third-rated Ursinus College (19-2) at 11 a.m. in one of the national semi-finals next Saturday, as the Bears handed #6 Trinity College (Conn.) a 5-1 loss in Third Round play at Ursinus Sunday.
Second-ranked Salisbury University (18-1) will meet up with fourth-rated Tufts University (18-1) in the other national semi-final at 2 p.m., as three of last year's Final Four squads — Salisbury took the place of '08 champ Bowdoin College — make the trip again.
Fans can check back to this website for the most updated information or log on to www.NCAA.com for interactive brackets and more. All games will take place on Mount Holyoke College Turf Field in South Hadley, Mass. Fans can also check out both the official championship website or 'championship central' for the latest on the 2009 NCAA Division III Field Hockey National Championships.
