Box Score
Carlisle, PA — With just five upperclassmen on its 20-member squad, the Messiah women's lacrosse team learned a bit more about itself Saturday, suiting up for the first time in the 2010 season at nearby Dickinson College.
And while the Falcons dropped an eventual 10-6 decision to the Red Devils, third year head coach Heather Greer said that it was, at least, a place to begin building from.
“We have a lot of individual talent, but the challenge for us right now is getting everyone on the same page,” Greer said. “Today, we had moments of working as one cohesive unit, but we need to be more consistent in that aspect. It was a tough way to start our season considering we've been practicing really well lately.”
Coming off the program's second MAC Championship in its 13-year history last year, Messiah (0-1) began its '10 campaign inauspiciously, allowing Dickinson (1-0) to possess the game-opening draw control and score just 20 seconds in.
Sophomore Rachel Dirksen then tied the game at 1-1 with an unassisted tally just two minutes later, but a 5-0 Red Devils run helped to blow things open: Dickinson scored three straight unassisted markers at the 24:39, 22:38 and 20:41 marks, notching a pair of free position scores at the 19:41 and 18:49 moments.
The Falcons would close the half with a flurry, however, as Dirksen notched her second goal of the game with 16:21 to go before the intermission. Freshman Maddie Comfort then tallied her first collegiate score a minute later, and when freshman Cecilia Kjellman blasted home a free position shot with 11:52 to go in the period, Messiah trailed by only a 6-4 count.
Sadly for Greer's group, the Falcons were unable to keep a patient Red Devils' attack off the board for the remainder of the half, as Dickinson's Abby Larson scored a free position shot with just 5:12 remaining — making it a 7-4 affair into halftime.
“Dickinson really pressured us on attack, which we normally like,” Greer said. “But today we let their pressure change the way that we play offense. They were dictating what we were doing instead of us dictating their defense.”
Much of that sentiment began in the draw control circle, where Dickinson corralled 13 of the game's 18 total square-offs. The Red Devils also outdueled Messiah in the transition game, successfully clearing 14 of its 17 attempts compared to the Falcons' 10 of 18 effort.
As snow flurries began falling in the second half, so did the scoring pace from both teams. Dickinson registered the half's first two goals, opening up a 9-4 lead with just 11:16 to play. Two more scores from Comfort pulled Messiah within a 9-6 difference, but the team would get no closer. Dickinson successfully controlled possession throughout the game's final three minutes, eventually scoring a moot goal with just 10 seconds remaining on the clock.
Comfort led the Falcons with three scores in her collegiate debut, while Dirksen added two goals. Both Comfort and Dirksen scooped up six ground balls — senior Andrea Thomas had three — while Comfort and sophomore Rachel Coyle each collected two draw controls.
Freshman Taylor Phillips registered 15 saves in a full game's worth of work in goal.
“Dirk(sen) never really looked like a freshman last year but she definitely looked a lot older than a sophomore today,” Greer said. “She stepped it up and was an impact player for us in attack, in our transition game and also on defense. Taylor has had no time to sit back and watch, and has done a great job stepping in as our starting goalie. She has not only made great saves when we needed them but she has also taken ownership of her defense. I love to see that maturity come from a freshman.
“I have the utmost respect from our captains and think they have done a tremendous job leading the team,” she continued. “But at this point, we are working toward each and every player stepping up and taking more ownership. We'll learn from our mistakes today and move on toward McDaniel on Wednesday.”
Messiah will travel to McDaniel College Wednesday afternoon, facing the Green Terror for a scheduled 4 p.m. start.
