Box Score
By Matt McDermott, GoMessiah.com student manager
Grantham, PA — It might have been Fall Break on Messiah's campus, but that didn't mean the nation's best defense and offense took a break.
Messiah — ranked atop both the NSCAA/HendrickCars.com and D3soccer.com Top 25 polls all season — put on an exhibition Saturday, showing off its number-one ranked offense and defense against conference foe Albright College, posting the teams 13th shutout of the season in a very one- sided 9-0 win.
But credit the Lions (7-8-3, 0-5-1) for putting up a good fight in the early moments, especially in the midfield to try and control pressure. But Messiah head coach Scott Frey said that this is where the benefits of having a seasoned midfielder — like junior Leah Sipe — are seen.
“Leah won every ball in the middle for the first 15 minutes,” Frey said. “She played great. Her ability to relieve pressure and switch the field while maintaining possession is great. And we have the same thing in (junior Olivia Scott). They both play with confidence and nothing changes in the middle for us.”
With Sipe winning possession in the midfield, the Falcons were primed to score. But the eventual game-winner came from Frey's newly found goal scoring machine, senior Molly Beltz.
In the 19th minute, sophomore Alex Brandt slipped the ball past the Lions' defense on the left side and Bletz sent in a high cross that went toward goal. Albright goalkeeper Olivia Guiliano got a hand on the cross, at first glance stopping the ball, but instead she knocked the ball to the back post for Bletz's second goal of the season — and her career.
The next three goals proved to be the ones that tamed the Lions, coming in less than two and a half minutes.
Junior Jess Shirk started the action in the 26th minute. Sophomore Corinne Wulf made a play to the end line and played the ball back into the middle of the field, finding Shirk, who finished for her third goal of the year. With the assist, Wulf follows in senior Erin Hench's footsteps as the second player on Frey's squad with back-to-back seasons with 10 goals and 10 assists, already making her mark on many of Messiah's career achievements lists.
Frey said the way that Wulf and freshman Alicia Frey have played at target has been a crucial part to the development and success of this team, especially with Hench's season-ending ACL injury early in the year.
“When we lost Henchy, it was a spot that could have been cause for concern,” Frey said. “But Corinne and Alicia have played so well up top. Look at how many goals and assists they have (a combined 21 and 17, respectively). This shows their need on the team. Corinne does it with a high work rate and she makes this happens, being so versatile, a player who can score and dish to other people. They are both great to have.”
The second goal of the trio was a blast from senior Amanda Naeher, off a deflected cross by freshman Emily Schneider, and the final was just the start of freshman Ali Rogers' day.
Rogers charted her first collegiate hat trick in consecutive tries, with nearly all three goals coming from the same spot on the field. Her achievement was a headliner for a second group that Frey said played well on Saturday.
“The second group continued our speed of play, decision making and discipline playing,” Frey said. “I think at this point in the year, everyone on the team is confident. There is a learning curve in the beginning of the season as everyone adjusts to how we play. Everyone is trying to figure out how everyone plays and what they bring to the team, how to play their position, how to play the system. Right now, we are doing a great job with being a team in everything we do and it shows.”
Frey continued, explaining how the confidence is achieved.
“We are playing so well in practice,” he added. “Everyone's confidence is high and it shows on the field, I think because of the way we are practicing. (Sophomore) Rachel (Scheibeler) is playing smart and she understands what we are doing. She plays great in practice and in the game, and today was an example of that.”
At half, Messiah had a demanding lead on the score board (6-0) and in the stats, as Albright was held to zeros in every offensive statistic, whereas Messiah had 21 shots, 12 on goal and four corners corner kicks.
The second period was same as the first, as Brandt and Wulf put back-to-back goals in, both in the 54th minute, just 41 seconds apart. The final goal was scored at the 73:58 mark by Frey, who tallied four points on the day, with a goal and two assists.
The shutout was the first complete statistical shutout for the Falcons all year, holding the Lions to zero shots, while it was the seventh time Frey's defense did not concede a corner to their opponent.
With two games to play, Frey says he is pleased with the effort his team continues to post.
“The main thing for us is to maintain our style of play,” Frey said. “Most importantly, we have to have the same commitment and the same discipline we had tonight.”
Messiah will have another quick turnaround, as the Falcons will travel to Annville, Pa. for a rescheduled contest against Lebanon Valley College, a contest previously postponed due to unplayable field conditions.
Game time is set for Tuesday at 3 p.m.
