Box Score
By Cody Swartz, GoMessiah.com reporter
Grantham, PA — Serving as the opening act to Homecoming Saturday didn't seem to disrupt Messiah, as the Falcons didn't disappoint a packed house in a 10-0 shut out win over Albright College at Anderson Field.
Messiah — ranked third in the latest Kookaburra/NFHCA Top 20 Coaches Poll — outshot the Lions by a 38-1 count while serving up 16 penalty corners to Albright's none, season-highs in both categories for the hosts.
“We played really well today,” said Jan Trapp, Messiah head coach. “For eight different players to score, it says a lot about our team.”
Trapp's group didn't waste time getting onto the board at the start of the game, as sophomore Juliana Hershey scored a goal off a pass from Kourtney Ehly just 23 seconds into the contest. It marked the quickest score into a game since the Falcons scored 18 seconds into a 16-0 win over Albright back on Oct. 16, 2004.
Ehly scored a goal of her own just over a minute later, and the goals began to pour in. Senior Julie Barton, senior Amber (Philpot) Good and Hershey added goals, while freshman Brooke Sands scored two goals of her own to give the Falcons a 7-0 halftime lead.
“The girls were really performing well,” Trapp said. “We were playing with more passion and enjoyment, and doing things right out there on the field. It was nice to see improvement from the whole team.”
Messiah (11-2, 4-0) outshot the Albright (7-6, 1-3) 29-0 in the first half alone, also building an 11-0 advantage in penalty corners.
Three goals in the second half propelled the Falcons to the 10-0 win — the team's ninth shut out victory of the year. The goals, courtesy of sophomore Emily Hursh, junior Dara Downs, and sophomore Leann Carroll, gave the Falcons their highest scoring output of the season and the most goals scored since a 13-0 win over Shenandoah University on Oct. 27, 2009.
In all, eight different Falcons scored goals, with the seven assists coming from seven different players.
“The great performance by the offense took the pressure off the defense,” Trapp said. “The offense worked together and really dominated from the 25-yard line to midfield, so there wasn't a lot of pressure on the defense to do well.”
Even so, the Falcons' defense allowed just one shot and no penalty corners all day. Senior Jes Zimmerman thwarted Albright's lone attempt, notching her third defensive save of the year.
The Falcons will certainly be tested this Wednesday afternoon, as the team will travel to Commonwealth Conference rival Lebanon Valley College — ranked second in the latest Top 20 poll.
With a loss from Tufts University this past week, LVC could be the number one ranked team in the nation come game time.
“This is going to be a fine matchup,” Trapp said. “They're a great team and they have excellent forwards and a strong front line. I am excited to play them.”
Game time is slated for 4 p.m. at LVC Field Hockey Stadium.
