Grantham, PA — Lightning may have struck near Shoemaker Field Wednesday night, but it couldn't strike twice in two years for visiting Gettysburg College.
Nearly a year to the day after Gettysburg withstood an onslaught of Messiah offense to come away with a 0-0, double-overtime tie, Messiah successfully avenged that result, tacking on three goals in the second half to come away with a 3-0 win Wednesday night.
Not even an hour and fifteen-minute lightning delay could deter Messiah (7-0-1), as the Falcons scored their final goal of the evening after the lengthy hiatus.
“It's always good to win,” said Scott Frey, Messiah head coach. “We'll take the result, but we need to continue to get better. I'm looking forward to practice.”
Messiah — ranked atop the latest NSCAA/Adidas Top 25 Poll but dropping to number two in the most recent D3soccer.com Top 25 — had its fair share of chances early in Wednesday's contest, long before an impeding thunderstorm would disrupt play. Senior Amanda Naeher got inside the Bullets backline just two minutes into the action, generating a one-on-one opportunity with Gettysburg sophomore keeper Allie Rivera. Naeher hit a low liner directly in the path of Rivera, however, as the Bullets' backstop had made the first of what would be nine saves on the evening.
After Naeher's unsuccessful run, Frey said things quickly got difficult.
“Gettysburg is a very, very sound team in the back,” he said. “They way they play is effective. There's a reason they've only given up one goal (on the season prior to Wednesday). You've got to make the most of your chances against a team like this. We didn't take care of it, and then it got hard. They settled in and defended, and we couldn't get behind them. There's nowhere to go.”
As Gettysburg (4-2) stacked its defensive third, Messiah found the attack unyielding: Despite controlling the ball on the Bullets' have of midfield for nearly the duration, the Falcons could register just six first-half shots, going into halftime with a scoreless tie in hand.
With memories of last season's scoreless result fresh in mind — Messiah outshot Gettysburg by a 27-3 count on that evening — Frey emboldened his team to continue to press forward.
Just nine minutes into the second half, it paid off.
Junior Erin Hench got free just outside the Bullets' 18-yard box, and attempted to play played a to Naeher, working just yards away. Hench's pass was redirected back to her feet from Naeher, and from there the Calisle, Pa. native wasted no time: Hench took a touch and ripped a left-footed blast from just inside the box on the right hand side, beating Rivera with pure velocity at the 54:13 mark.
Gettysburg would briefly push forward following Hench's score, but it would be short-lived. Frey's club quickly got back to the attack, scoring an insurance marker at the 66:15 mark. Naeher found space to run in the midfield, carrying the ball for six yards before sending a 25-yard blast to the upper 90, seemingly outdoing Hench's shot in pace.
Now seething with confidence, Messiah continued to press forward.
But that's when Mother Nature had other ideas.
Approaching lightning suspended game play with 15:03 remaining on the clock — at 8:45 p.m. local time — clearing the venue as a precaution. The storm slowly made its way though the area, and game officials found playing conditions safe at 9:45 p.m., giving players a 15-minute re-warm up period before resuming play at 10 p.m.
When play finally resumed, Frey's club picked up where it left off, scoring its final goal just two and a half minutes in to post-lightning activity: Junior Marla Sensi got in on the left side of the Gettysburg penalty box, and played a square ball to freshman Corinne Wulf. Wulf then played the ball across her body and finished to the far post, scoring her third goal of the season and giving Sensi her first assist on the year.
Messiah would eventually outshoot Gettysburg by a 20-2 count on the night, while sophomore goalkeeper Autumn Reilly needed to make just one save, coming with less than five minutes remaining in the contest. After sophomore took a liner in the stomach, she was whistled for a handball 35 yards away from the Falcons' frame. Gettysburg sophomore defender Lauren Johnson took the free kick and sailed a ball that was dead on — only for Reilly to smother the attempt, preserving the shut out.
“I was pleased with how we played in the second half, and after the rain delay,” Frey said. “You have a choice in how you come out after something like that, and we came out ready to go. I think our depth was again a factor tonight, but it also becomes a matter of how long you can defend as hard and well as Gettysburg was. I think it wears on you a bit, and we finally got the break we needed.”
Messiah will get another lofty test — if history is any indicator — Saturday, as the team welcomes Washington & Lee University to campus. Last season, the Falcons needed a valiant comeback effort to hand the Generals a 4-3 overtime loss. Saturday's game time is set for 1 p.m.
