Box Score
Grantham, PA — So this is what 1-0 feels like.
Fourth-year Messiah head coach Heather Greer got off a three-year funk Saturday at Anderson Field, leading the Falcons to their first season-opening win during her tenure in an 11-3 shellacking of visiting Dickinson College.
Six different Falcons found the back of the cage in a balanced and persistent attack, as Greer's group hammered a Red Devils' team with one game already under its collective belt — a 17-3 blasting of MAC foe Lycoming College Thursday afternoon.
“I'm not sure if winning a season-opener is all that important, but getting an early win against a good team is,” Greer said afterward. “Dickinson has been a quality program for some time. We're obviously pleased, but we have a lot to work on.”
Donning game uniforms for the first time this spring, it took Messiah (1-0) awhile to get on track. Dickinson's Sunnie Ko scored the game's initial tally three minutes into play, as a turnover from each team and a missed opportunity from senior Kara Geiman eventually gave the Red Devils their scoring possession.
Geiman was true with her next shot of the day, however, posting the equalizer a minute after Ko's score off a feed from junior Megan Doolittle. Doolittle then banged home an unassisted tally with 18:54 to play in the half, but Dickinson's Carson Anderson responded with a free position shot 12 minutes later — knotting the score at 2-2 with just 6:50 to go.
“The funny thing is, I was expecting a high-scoring game,” Greer said. “I thought it would be an offensive slugfest, and it was 2-2 with a little over five minutes before halftime.”
Greer would be right, eventually.
Messiah began its offensive onslaught in the waning moments of the first half, as Geiman's second and third scores sandwiched an unassisted tally from senior Megan Bovenzi, making it a 5-2 Falcons' lead at the break. Despite leading the Red Devils in shots (22-10) and ground balls (17-7), Greer said her team was wary of the position it was in.
“It was still anybody's game at halftime,” she said. “It was obviously good to squeak a couple goals in right before the half, but that speaks to the character of our team. We don't give up until the final whistle.”
There would be no need to wait until the final horn in the second period, as Messiah's dominance in the midfield equated to a growingly lopsided tally on the scoreboard. Two more goals from Doolittle and a nifty finish from junior Jaime Gerhart made it a 8-3 ballgame just 12 minutes in, while an unassisted marker from sophomore Cecilia Kjellman and a goal from freshman Lizzy Keeney turned it into a 10-3 affair with 10:31 to go.
Dickinson added its only second-half goal off of its seventh second-period shot with 9:45 remaining, but Kjellman finished a hard bouncer just a minute later, completing the game's scoring at the 8:43 mark.
“I thought we got better offensively as the game went on,” Greer said. “Early we weren't putting our shots on cage, and we didn't move the ball as well as we should have. But, we were patient and worked together a bit better as the game wore on.”
Messiah's efficiency by committee was evident in the final statistics, as Geiman and Doolittle (three goals each) and Kjellman (two goals) were backed by singular scores from Bovenzi, Keeney and Gerhart. The Falcons outshot Dickinson by a 38-17 count, putting 28 of their shots on frame.
Greer's midfield allowed those numbers to transpire, as the club kept Dickinson (1-1) to just 12 successful clears on 20 attempts, forcing 23 of the Red Devils' 25 turnovers. Senior Andrea Thomas led the way with seven takeaways, flanked by four from junior Rachel Coyle.
“It was our game plan to give them some heavy pressure when they were clearing the ball,” Greer said. “Our ride was good today. We were able to double the ball and put some pressure on, and then win the ball back.”
Sophomore Taylor Phillips finished with 10 saves in goal. Messiah's outstanding play in the midfield helped offset a 7-9 difference in draw controls won.
In addition to earning Greer her first season-opening win as the Falcons' head coach, Messiah also repaid Dickinson for its opening day defeat last year, as the Red Devils took a 10-6 decision at their own Biddle Field.
“We're already thinking about McDaniel (College),” Greer said. “We always want to be focused on the next game, regardless of how we played in our last one. McDaniel is another team we haven't beaten since I've been here, so we know it will take another great effort. We're looking forward to the opportunity.”
Messiah will host the Green Terror Wednesday afternoon at Anderson Field. Game time is set for 4 p.m.
