South Hadley, MA — Given the Messiah field hockey program's annual success at the highest possible level, it is a near certainty that it is coming.
Following a 1-0 loss to Salisbury University in Sunday's NCAA Division III National Championship game, however, it will have to wait another year.
Messiah made its seventh national championship appearance in program history at Mount Holyoke College's Turf Field Sunday afternoon, and for the seventh time came away with the silver trophy. A penalty-corner turned goal just 3:33 into the game stood up for the Sea Gulls, as Messiah was shut out for the first time since the 2007 season — a 3-0 loss which came against, ironically, Salisbury.
With Sunday's loss, the Falcons concluded its previously flawless year with a 22-1 record overall. It was the second time that the Falcons entered the national championship with an unblemished record — the other came in 1984 — only to see its magical ride end in a heartbreaking, one-goal defeat.
“We're obviously disappointed not to win this game,” said Jan Trapp, 37th-year Messiah head coach. “Congratulations goes to Salisbury. They outplayed us from the very first whistle. They played well, they went to the ball hard. They did what they needed to do.”
Salisbury's win avenged a 3-2, double-overtime loss to Messiah from late September — the Sea Gulls' only defeat of the year.
Salisbury (20-1) wasted no time putting the game-winning goal on the board Sunday, as Sea Gulls' sophomore Caitlin Walker scored off the afternoon's first penalty corner, taking a feed from sophomore Tara McGovern after senior Michelle Rowe inserted the ball into play.
With over 64 minutes of regulation field hockey remaining, the Sea Gulls' score seemed — at the time — innocuous. After all, Messiah entered the game averaging over five goals per, pounding opponents for 22.6 shots per game.
Sunday, however, neither the goals nor shots would come.
The Sea Gulls put together a marvelous display of field hockey through the midfield throughout the remainder of the game, limiting Messiah's potent attack to just nine shots, the Falcons' second lowest tally on the season next to its seven attempts against — who else? — Salisbury.
Senior goalkeeper Ashley Mowery kept things from getting worse early in Sunday's contest, collecting half of her eight total saves in the game's first 13 minutes. As Salisbury controlled the majority of possession early, Trapp's club slowly mounted a push late, eventually getting their best chances at an equalizer moments before halftime.
With 28:24 elapsed, junior Kourtney Ehly received a gorgeous cross from senior Jenna Max on the right side, but pushed her sweep wide of the far post. Just four minutes later, it appeared Messiah would certainly knot the game up, but an open look from freshman Emily Hursh also went begging, pushed wide right from the left flank.
Messiah's pressure continued before the halftime horn, as the squad's fourth penalty corner yielded another quality chance. Senior Elizabeth Ziegler took a feed from junior Julie Barton and fired a shot into the circle, being deflected off a Salisbury defender's foot before arriving at the stick of freshman sister Natalie Ziegler, who was positioned directly in front of the Sea Gulls' cage.
Before Natalie could take a swing, however, the officials' called the foot infraction, resulting in another penalty corner.
That effort skipped into the backfield, and Salisbury had maintained its lead.
In the second half, Messiah was limited to just a pair of shots and a single corner, as the Sea Gulls repeatedly ended Falcons' pushes in the midfield, breaking up passes and interrupting buildup sequences.
It wasn't until Trapp called a timeout with 8:12 remaining that Messiah mounted a final surge, culminating with one final look at the goal.
Following a restart in Salisbury's defensive third of the midfield, junior Amber Philpot received a cross from the right side, and redirected the effort toward the Sea Gulls' cage from just a few yards off the endline with 2:52 remaining.
Her attempt went wide left, however, as Messiah would put just three of its nine shots on frame during the afternoon.
“We were just ecstatic to get an opportunity to play in the national championship and get another opportunity at Messiah,” said Salisbury head coach Dawn Chamberlain. “We wanted to avenge that (regular-season) loss and I think we did a nice job of that today.”
Saslisbury's defensive effort was highly commendable, especially given the Falcons' performance in Saturday's national semi-final: After trailing Ursinus College by a 2-0 score at the half, Messiah scored four second-half goals en route to a 4-3 win.
Ehly's hat trick in that contest equaled the most goals scored by an individual in a championship round game. On Sunday, she was limited to just two shots.
After being presented the Second Place Team trophy in the post-game ceremony, a smile crossed Trapp's face. She posed for a photo with her eight seniors — Max, Mowery, Ziegler, Katrina Campbell, Brittany Godshall, Mary Hoover, Katie Love and Emily Sauder — a group that finished their careers with three Final Four appearances, a pair of national championship game appearances and an overall record of 71-13.
While obviously disappointed not to have brought home the program's first national championship in 13 Final Four appearances, Trapp said the players know exactly what they've meant to the program's successes over the years.
“They've been a remarkable group, and we will miss them,” she said.
Check back to this website for post-season award announcements in the coming days and weeks.
