Box Score
Grantham, PA — And so, the date is set.
Messiah won its ninth consecutive game Saturday afternoon at Anderson Field, handing MAC foe Misericordia University a 19-4 defeat and with it staging a game of enormous proportions Wednesday: Messiah (11-3 overall, 9-0 MAC) will travel to league rival and 19th-ranked Elizabethtown College (13-2 overall, 9-0 MAC) for what will equate to the number one seed in the upcoming MAC Playoffs.
“We have needed to improve in our consistency, playing hard for the entire 60 minutes of a game and today we did that really well,” said Heather Greer, Messiah head coach. “There were no moments of letting-down which is important going into our game on Wednesday. We know it will take us being successful in the little things for the entire 60 minutes to get us the win, and boy do we want that win on their turf.”
Saturday against the Cougars, it was the draw control game that propelled Messiah to its eighth win by at least 10 goals, as the Falcons captured 20 of the game's 25 opportunities at center field. Freshman Rachel Dicksen and senior Brianne Brennan led the way in that area, securing six and five draw controls, respectively.
Those numbers eventually equated to a 40-13 disparity in total shots, as Greer's club was never tested. Only a Misericordia (3-12, 2-6) goal at the first half's 24:52 mark would break up 13 scores from the hosts over the game's first 19 minutes, as Messiah cruised to a 13-2 lead at the halftime break. Dirksen tacked on four during Messiah's initial run, while freshman Deb Tam added three — coming in a span of just two and a half minutes.
“We have a dominant draw team and today they demonstrated once again how good they are by getting 20 of the 25 draws today,” Greer said. “ When Misericorda had the ball, we applied some heavy, patient, pressure. All the way from our high attack on the ride, to our low 'D' in a settled situation, our defense pressured and was able to come up with the ball time and time again.”
Freshman Rachel Coyle highlighted those efforts, finishing with career highs in both ground balls (10) and caused turnovers (six). Messiah finished with a 24-10 advantage in ground balls on the afternoon, while the team forced 13 of Misericordia's 18 turnovers.
“RC (Rachel Coyle) has grown into an impact player for us in all areas of the game,” Greer said. “It seems whenever the ball is on the ground, she is there to gain possession. She is a tiny player but has a big presence on the field and really stepped it up in a big way, which we needed her to especially not having (sophomore Megan) Bovenzi out there today in the midfield.”
Playing without Bovenzi for the first time this season — she suffered a high ankle sprain in Messiah's 14-12 win at Eastern University Thursday — the Falcons more than managed. Dirksen finished with a team-leading five goals on just seven shots (her seventh game scoring four goals or more on the year), while Tam finished with a career-high four scores. Coyle and classmates Meghan Doolitle and Keri Nickles each finished with two goals— the latter being just Nickles' second multiple-goal game of the year.
Defensively, senior goalie Jen Venter was a wall when tested, finishing the game with six total saves — including four in the first half en route to an 80 percent save ratio. Misericordia scored half its goals in the game's final 12 minutes, as Greer inserted senior and recent addition Brindley Beckwith — formerly of Messiah women's soccer goalkeeping fame — into the cage.
“(Rahcel) Dirk(sen) has continued to step it up on attack each game,” Greer said. “She does not have a hard shot, she doesn't need one, because she moves goalies so well, taking them off of their angles and almost placing the ball behind them. And the fun part is that she makes it look effortless. Jen (Venter) had a dominant first half today. She was so quick and agile today making some really pretty saves for us early, which was key to give us a surge in our momentum. Because of her quick clears we were also able to transition the ball quickly and create some fast breaks today.”
Messiah now gears up for what is arguably its biggest game of the season to date, as Elizabethtown captured a pair of wins over the Falcons on its home field last season — including a 15-9 decision that concluded Messiah's '08 season in the MAC Semi-Finals.
While Wednesday's game will not end a season for either team, it could play a role in determining where this year's MAC Championship game will be played, should the seeds hold true to form in the tournament. Wednesday's game time is set for 4 p.m. at Wolf Field.
