Hoboken, NJ — For those Messiah women's soccer fans who made the voyage to Hoboken, New Jersey Tuesday afternoon, the scene was a familiar one.
Quality soccer, a dominant possession game and an unrelenting attack led to a 2-0 win at Stevens Institute of Technology, keeping the Falcons' program unbeaten in its last 27 games — a streak dating back to the 2007 national championship game.
“It's always good to get the first one, and doing it on the road is even better,” said Scott Frey, Messiah head coach. “I thought overall we played well. By and large we did a good job of maintaining possession and creating chances, and were able to get behind them as the game went on. All in all, it was a good start.”
Messiah (1-0) tacked on both scores in the first half of play, as 2008 National Soccer Coaches Association/Adidas National Player of the Year Amanda Naeher put the Falcons' first goal in the back of the net with 29:30 elapsed, while freshman Corinne Wulf tallied her first collegiate marker just over five minutes later.
The end result was a 20-3 advantage in total shots for Frey's club, as Messiah recorded its 15th shutout in its last 17 games.
Ranked number one in the NSCAA/Adidas NCAA Division III Pre-Season Top 25 Poll, Messiah showed its offensive prowess early, as junior Erin Hench laced a pair of shots on goal in the first few moments, only to be denied by a pair of solid saves from Ducks' sophomore keeper Kaitlyn McClymont.
Things would change in the 29th minute of action, as Messiah put together a beautiful scoring combination. After junior defender Katie Hoffsmith settled the ball on the right side from nearly 40 yards out, she sent a beautiful cross to the far post, looping the ball towards a streaking Naeher.
The senior then headed the ball into the back of the net off of one bounce, putting a nearly defenseless shot past McClymont.
“That was one of those goals that you could see coming before it happened,” Frey said. “Katie banged it to the back post and Mandy was making a really good run.”
Perhaps feeding off Naeher's enthusiasm, Wulf responded with an unassisted marker at the 34:47 mark, cutting her defender back toward the middle on the left wing and ripping a shot inside the near post for a 2-0 advantage.
A highly-touted recruit out of Columbus, Ohio, Wulf made sure her collegiate debut was an efficient one, scoring Messiah's second tally on her only attempt of the afternoon.
“That was a big goal for us,” Frey said. “It completely took the pressure off. The first goal was huge, and the second was even bigger.”
While Stevens (0-1) only recorded one shot on goal for the game, Frey said the hosts' athleticism made them dangerous. A counter attack early in the first half provided the Ducks with their attempt on frame, while a spirited push to open the second half was met by a calm assurance from Messiah's back line of Hoffsmith, sophomore Kelsey Gorman and seniors Carey Cortese and Molly Bletz.
“Stevens was able to press us at times,” Frey said. “They're an athletic team that put together some nice counter attacks. Our back four did very well, though. I thought they played as well as they have all fall.”
Frey also made mention of senior Katlyn Musser and freshman Tannia Nieto, as that tandem was primarily responsible for distributing the ball out of the center midfield.
Sophomore goalkeeper Autumn Reilly picked up her first collegiate win in goal, making her first start after sitting behind 2008 senior and all-conference keeper Brindley Beckwith last year.
Messiah now looks forward to a home-opening weekend, as the team will host Roberts Wesleyan College at 7 p.m. Friday night and Ithaca College — ranked ninth in the aforementioned pres-season poll — at 5 p.m. Saturday night. Both games will take place on Shoemaker Field.
