Box Score
By Cody Swartz, GoMessiah.com reporter
Geneva, NY — In a low-scoring battle of two top-ranked teams, it was senior Julie Barton's that proved to be the difference Saturday, as Messiah edged out host William Smith College by a 1-0 score at the Herons' McCooey Field.
The Falcons — ranked third in the latest Kookaburra/NFHCA Division III Coaches' Poll — held off the 16th-ranked Herons to record their fifth shut out win — and fifth over a ranked opponent — on the season.
“We really didn't play great in the first half, but the second half was much better,” said Jan Trapp, Messiah head coach.
Messiah (6-2) and William Smith (9-2) battled to a scoreless first half. Despite Messiah's 15-4 advantage in shots, Herons' sophomore goalie Taryn Little recorded seven saves, keeping the Messiah's high-powered offense off the board.
“We had a lot of scoring opportunities, but we struggled in converting them,” Trapp said. “(William Smith) has greatly improved as a team. They're a really nice team and they gave us a really strong effort.”
The Falcons, which entered the afternoon averaging three goals per contest, finally broke through in the second half. Barton — last year's Division III National Player of the Year — took a cross from freshman Brooke Sands and sent it into the goal with 44:20 elapsed. It was Barton's team-leading 11th point of the season, and more importantly, gave the Falcons the goal that would prove to be the difference in the contest.
Messiah's defense held strong, limiting the Herons to no shots and just a single penalty corner in the second half. The Falcons finished with an enormous, 24-4 difference in total shots on the day, coupled with a 15-6 disparity in total penalty corners.
“The team defense was very good,” Trapp said. “We stopped them at midfield and transferred the ball well to the forwards. The forward also came back and helped out and I thought we played the corners well. We just had a difficult time finishing our chances.”
Freshman goalkeeper Kayleigh Stewart recorded two saves for Messiah, playing a flawless game for her second career shut out.
“Kayleigh was up to the shots she took in goal,” Trapp said. “The defense was strong enough that she only needed to make two saves. It's always good when the goalie doesn't get many chances.”
As a result of the remains of Tropical Storm Nicole last week, Messiah is now scheduled to play three games this week — two of those against Commonwealth Conference opponents. The Falcons will travel to Widener University Tuesday afternoon, a make-up date from last Thursday's rain-out. Then, Messiah will host The College of New Jersey Thursday evening, before traveling to Alvernia University Saturday.
“It will be a busy week, but it should be a good test for our team,” Trapp said. “We'll need to have a great focus about us every time we step on the field.”
Tuesday's game at Widener is set for a 4 p.m. start.
