Box Score
By Cody Swartz, GoMessiah.com reporter
Annville, PA — To beat the top-ranked team in the nation, it was safe to assume Messiah would need a valiant effort from its entire team, specifically last year's NCAA Division III National Player of the Year, Julie Barton.
The Falcons — led by Barton — turned in arguably their finest performance of the season.
Barton played a significant role in three Messiah goals Wednesday afternoon, as the second-ranked Falcons defeated top-ranked Lebanon Valley College 3-2 in overtime, in front of a packed house at the LVC Field Hockey Stadium.
“I hate to single out one player, because it was a tremendous team effort, but Julie Barton really stood out,” said Jan Trapp, Messiah head coach. “She played such a good game at midfield. This game really lived up to the hype. I was proud of my young girls. They really battled hard all game.”
It marked the eighth straight win for the Falcons this year, as Trapp's team handed the Dutchmen their first loss of the season. Following a Tufts University loss last week, Lebanon Valley College (14-1, 3-1) secured the nation's top ranking in this week's Kookaburra/NFHCA Top 20 Coaches Poll. Messiah (12-2, 5-0) moved up to the number two rating from number three, and Wednesday's showdown was set.
The game lived up to its billing, with regulation hockey not enough to decide things.
“We've played some really tough teams this year,” Trapp said. “We've come up big and we've come up short. I think it has given the girls a lot of experience in terms of playing big games like this. Both teams are very strong and very talented, and it was nice for us to get a win.”
LVC jumped on the board first at the 12:21 mark, as Jocelyn Novak scored an unassisted goal off a rebound from a penalty corner.
The two teams held to a defensive struggle for the remainder of first-period play, with the Dutchmen maintaining a slim, 1-0 lead.
“We didn't play differently (with the 1-0 deficit),” Trapp said. “As the girls got more and more used to the grass surface, they started to play much better. They hit the ball harder and we had practiced receiving hard shots. They adapted and learned on the job, and they did a pretty good job of it.”
Improved play help the Falcons tie the game at the 48:55 mark. Senior Amber (Philpot) Good passed to Barton off a penalty corner, and Barton's goal knotted the score at one apiece.
LVC quickly regained the lead at 54:42, as the Dutchmen's Cait Eckenrode notched a goal off a rebound from a penalty corner.
The Falcons didn't waste any time, however, as freshman Brooke Sands tallied her team-leading 10th goal of the season at 56:08, off a tip from Barton on a penalty corner.
Messiah's defense played strong, holding the Dutchmen for the remainder of regulation. In all, the Falcons and Dutchmen each tallied 16 shots against one another, while the Falcons registered 16 penalty corners to the Dutchmen's nine.
“Our defense really played well today,” Trapp said. “The girls shortened LVC on many goal attempts. Both teams easily could have had three of four more goals, but the defenses were very strong. (Freshman) Kayleigh (Stewart) also did an excellent job in goal against a fine team.”
It was, perhaps, only fitting that the battle of the nation's top two teams should be decided in overtime.
The Falcons couldn't capitalize on a barrage of penalty corners early on in the extra session, but consistent pressure from the visitor's offense eventually decided the outcome.
Following Messiah's fourth penalty corner of the overtime, Barton tipped a pass to Kourtney Ehly, who sent the ball into the back of the net as the clock hit 77:08, capping off a nail-biting 3-2 Falcons' win.
A field-rushing scene ensued, as Messiah had captured a crucial win — both for Commonwealth Conference seeding and otherwise — in front of nearly 500 spectators.
“The girls really were persistent to get that last goal,” Trapp said. “They really wanted it. They're in such tremendous shape, and they played a great game today.”
It was the seventh straight time Messiah has defeated Lebanon Valley, with five of those wins coming in one-goal nail-biters. The 3-2 score in overtime marked the same score with which the Falcons defeated LVC in last year's NCAA Tournament, a game in which Barton scored the winning goal to send Messiah to the NCAA Division III National Semi-Finals.
Messiah will look to collect its collective breath before returning to Anderson Field this weekend, as the Falcons will host Arcadia University Saturday afternoon. The final regular-season home game of the year, Messiah will honor its seniors prior to the contest. Game time is set for 1 p.m.
