Box Score
By Cody Swartz, GoMessiah.com reporter
Winchester, VA — Tuesday afternoon signaled the end of a brief stint in the Commonwealth Conference for Shenandoah University field hockey.
Messiah made certain the Hornets would long remember the quality of the league.
The Falcons capped off their regular-season with an 8-0 win at Shenandoah's Shentel Stadium Tuesday, the team's 10th straight win.
It was the type of performance expected out of the nation's new top-ranked team, as Messiah topped the Kookaburra/NFHCA Top 20 Coaches Poll earlier in the day, a direct result of last week's 3-2 overtime win over then-#1 Lebanon Valley College.
With Tuesday's victory, Messiah (14-2, 7-0) concluded the Commonwealth regular-season with an unblemished 7-0 record. The Falcons have not lost in their last 21 consecutive regular-season league contests — a streak that dates back to the 2007 season.
“We got everyone into the game today, and it was good to see how their skills have improved,” said Jan Trapp, Messiah head coach. “We now have to look to continue to improve as we begin to get ready for the conference tournament.”
The Falcons didn't waste any time jumping on the board against Shenandoah (8-9, 0-7), as a triad of early goals put Messiah up 3-0 just 8:34 into the game.
Senior Kourtney Ehly's unassisted score marked her team-leading 13th goal of the season less than three minutes in, and sophomore Juliana Hershey followed with two quick goals to give the Falcons a comfortable lead over an overmatched Hornets side.
Ehly and Hershey each added another goal surrounding the halftime break, with Ehly registering two for the day and Hershey finishing with three.
“They both played great games for us, and they really set the tone for the team,” Trapp said. “Our team's strength is the ability to wear down another team because our bench is so strong.”
Messiah — which has allowed just nine goals all season long — recorded its 11th shutout of the season, dominating the statistics in both shots (36-7) and penalty corners (23-5).
Another trio of goals scored by sophomore Kaitlin Smith, junior Kilee Rosenberry and sophomore Brenna Stewart finished off the scoring for the day, as the Falcons' eight goals represented the team's second-best single-game output this season.
“We still have a lot of things to improve, but I am seeing good things from this team,” Trapp said. “We are still climbing the hill and every game we see good things from the girls. I love to see their passion.”
Senior Julie Barton accumulated two assists in Tuesday's contest, giving her a team-high 14 for the season, the second-highest individual total in the Commonwealth Conference.
For Shenandoah, Tuesday signified the program's final tilt as a member of the Commonwealth Conference. The Hornets entered the league last season, posting a cumulative 1-13 record during the two-year stint. Shenandoah will enter the Old Dominion Athletic Conference next year, a league Shenandoah had considerable success against this season: The Hornets played six ODAC teams this fall, posting a 4-2 record in those contests.
For Messiah, however, another post-season appearance in the Commonwealth Conference Tournament is now looming. Following a rare idle weekend, Messiah will host fourth-seeded Alvernia University next Wednesday in one of the two Commonwealth Conference Semi-Finals. Game time has officially been set at 4 p.m.
“This team has a lot of upperclassmen on it, but just three starters from last year's club are still on the team this year,” Trapp said of her squad. “We are starting to play together so well. This is one of the fastest teams I have had. They're really focused and I love the way they have been playing recently.”
