Grantham, PA — The top-rated Messiah women's soccer team turned in another dominating performance Saturday afternoon at Shoemaker Field, hanging a 4-0 defeat on Arcadia University and winning the program's third straight Commonwealth Conference Championship in the process.
Messiah (19-0-1) got on the board within the game's first 10 minutes and then blasted the Arcadia back line with relentless nature early in the second half, cruising to the team's sixth straight shutout win and 15th overall on the season.
The Falcons now advance to their 10th straight NCAA Tournament, and will await Monday's selection show to find out when, where and who they will play.
“Once again, it was important for us to get that first goal early,” said Scott Frey, Messiah head coach. “To (Arcadia's) credit, they fought like crazy and they battled. It was a physical game, an intense game. They never backed down. With what they do defensively, it was huge for us to get that first one.”
What the Knights did was limit opponents to just 10 goals on the season — only six when not including Messiah's 4-0 win over Arcadia (15-2-3) back on Oct. 27. Knights freshman goalkeeper Jacki Law had put up incredible numbers in her first collegiate campaign, boasting a .913 save percentage and a 0.54 goals-against-average.
Sadly for the visitors, none of that would matter Saturday.
Messiah hammered the Knights' defense for 31 total shots, while Law could only stop seven of 11 attempts put on frame — the 14th time this season the Falcons posted double-figure totals in the latter category.
Junior Joanna Haqq scored what Frey called 'the most important goal' just 9:42 into the game, taking a nice one-two ball from senior Amanda Naeher following a pretty build-up in the midfield.
And while Frey's club would go on to fire 10 more shots in the period, Arcadia was able to keep the slate clean for the remainder, trailing only by the 1-0 margin at the half.
“After we scored, I thought we got a little stagnant,” Frey said. “We didn't create any more great chances, but our backs continued to do a great job. More than anything else, we needed to move the ball more quickly. We needed to focus on making the simple play — not the brilliant play. I thought we did that in the second half, especially early.”
Messiah's starting group came on like gangbusters to open the second period, pounding eight shots in the opening nine minutes, leading to a 3-0 lead as a result.
Naeher got things going in both the 47th minute and the 54th minute, scoring her 24th and 25th goals of the season off frontline pressure that came in waves. With 46:40 elapsed in the game, Naeher went one-on-the-entire-Arcadia-defense, collecting the ball in the midfield and putting on a subsequent dribbling display.
She freed herself just inside the penalty box before ripping a left-footed blast that beat Law to the far post, putting Messiah ahead 2-0.
Less than nine minutes later, a collective Falcons attack helped Naeher to her fifth multiple-goal game on the year, as sophomore Leah Sipe ripped a shot from just inside the 18-yard box. Her shot banged off the crossbar and directly back to her feet, and Sipe calmly slid the ball to Naeher, who was standing unmarked just paces to her left.
Naeher then took a touch and finished a hard shot to the lower right corner, turning back to Sipe with a look of determination rather than celebration.
Things were unraveling for Arcadia.
“I thought we really came out attacking in the second half,” Frey said, “and that's what we do. We attacked in numbers. To score as early as we did, that's a back-breaker for a team just coming out. The game's still close, and to bang one home … that's tough to come back from.”
Come back, Arcadia would not, as junior Erin Hench finalized the scoring just over eight minutes later. Another pummeling sequence helped the Falcons score goal number four, as Naeher fired a hard shot from the left flank — rattling another ball off the crossbar.
This time, the deflection landed at the feet of freshman Corinne Wulf, whose follow-up shot was deflected by Law, lying on the ground in the goal mouth.
Again the ball was loose, and again Messiah would be there to collect it. Hench fired a one-time rocket from eight yards out that again thumped off Law, this time curling into the upper netting for Hench's 14th goal of the season.
“Arcadia countered with numbers,” Frey said. “They weren't sitting back on us. We needed to continue to press forward, and we did.”
Despite Messiah's well-documented attack, it was senior defender Carey Cortese who earned tournament most valuable player honors, as the Falcons' center back has helped lead a defense that has allowed just five goals all season.
To date, Messiah has outscored its opponents by a 91-5 count.
“Not only has (Carey) been great these past two games, but it's also a culmination of how she's played all year,” Frey said. “Very few understand how well she does what she does. In that area of the field, she doesn't get the recognition she deserves. She's been so steady for us.”
Messiah now moves on to the NCAA Tournament, and awaits Monday's word for details on what's next.
Frey said his team is excited for the next step.
“We've been taking the mindset that these last few games have been NCAA Tournament games, just to prepare,” he said. “I like the way we're playing right now. These girls, at this time of year, they're excited. We have an experienced group that knows what to expect.”
Check back to this site Monday for the latest information on Messiah's NCAA Tournament details, or log on to www.ncaa.com.
