Box Score
West Palm Beach, FL – If Messiah's week-long stay in southern Florida is – as head coach Heather Greer has called it – a business trip, the Falcons closed a very, very large deal Tuesday night at Lake Lytal Park.
A season high five goals from sophomore Maddie Comfort and three monstrous, second-half scores from senior Kara Geiman paced an incredible effort against fourth-ranked Franklin & Marshall College, as Messiah handed the Diplomats a 10-9 defeat in overtime on a clear and breezy evening in West Palm Beach, Florida.
Sophomore goalie Taylor Phillips recorded 10 saves – each of which seemed larger than the next – as Greer's club overcame a 26-17 disparity in total shots, knocking off the 2009 NCAA Division III National Champions in a game that felt very much like an NCAA Tournament contest itself.
“Obviously, this is a huge win for us,” Greer said. “I really think half the battle was knowing we could win, knowing we could do it. I think we had a game plan tonight, and I thought we stuck to it. In no way, shape or form was it an individual effort tonight. Everyone needed to step up, and everyone did. I couldn't be prouder of how we competed.”
The Falcons wasted no time in letting the action come to them, as a pair of free position goals from Comfort and a gorgeous transition goal helped Messiah (4-0) to a 3-0 lead 17 minutes into play. Freshman Liz Keeney was the beneficiary of the latter, scoring from a flat angle on the left side after sophomore Cecilia Kjellman carried the ball down the center of the field and found Comfort to her left. Drawing a defender, Comfort swung the ball to Keeney, who finished her only shot of the game to the lower 90.
To be expected, Franklin & Marshall (3-1) didn't go away, and the Diplomats responded with a surge of their own: In the game's next five and a half minutes, F&M ripped off four goals, taking a 4-3 lead with eight minutes to play in the first period.
From there, it was a prize fight: Comfort tied the game at the 5:16 mark after making a brilliant dodge from the right side, taking a nifty feed from Geiman, who found Comfort out of a double-team.
“I thought we never once lost our composure tonight,” Greer said. “Even when F&M took the lead in the first half, we never played with a sense of panic. I think, if anything, we just kept to our game plan. It didn't matter what the scoreboard said.”
In a game that produced five ties and a pair of lead changes – never letting either side catch its collective breath – that was a good thing. Franklin & Marshall took a 5-4 lead just two and a half minutes into the second half, but Geiman responded with her first goal just a minute and a half later, converting a shot under heavy pressure to knot things up at 5-5.
That goal opened another 3-0 Messiah spurt, as Comfort (26:10) and Geiman (22:01) gave the Falcons a 7-5 lead. A pair of F&M scores tied things up with 18:14 to go, and the finish was setting up to be an instant classic.
Geiman and Comfort again scored in one-two fashion at the 9:15 and 7:50 marks, but the Diplomats responded with a pair of goals at the 3:59 and 1:41 moments, tying the game at 9-9.
If overtime was to be had, it would occur because of Phillips, who stopped two consecutive F&M free position shots before the Diplomats' Cat Serpe connected. After a Messiah turnover gave Franklin & Marshall the ball with under 30 seconds to play, the Diplomats drew yet another free position shot – they finished with 14 on the evening – with only 12 seconds to play.
As she was all night, Phillips was there, stopping the effort with cat-like reflexes.
“In big games, she steps up to the level of competition,” Greer said of her second-year backstop. “You have to have that as a goalie. You're in the cage and you have to handle pressure situations. Taylor has done that ever since she's got here.”
It wouldn't be the last time Phillips would have to come up large, as overtime started with Franklin & Marshall controlling the draw. After an F&M shot clanged off the pipe with just over 20 seconds remaining in the first three-minute period, another brilliant Messiah transition goal came at the last possible moment: Junior Rachel Dirksen finished her only shot of the night with just five seconds on the clock, putting the Falcons up by a 10-9 score.
Messiah won the ensuing draw control, and did its best to milk the remainder of the clock on offense. As F&M pressured, however, possessing became a chore, as the Falcons used the entirety of the field to play keep away.
It worked until just 48 seconds remained.
Using their pervasive athleticism, the Diplomats forced a turnover, and frantically began a push up field looking for an equalizer. As Messiah's defense dug in, it was Phillips who finished it, recording her 10th save of the evening just milliseconds before the final horn sounded, stopping a Diplomats' shot that was put on frame.
Messiah had done it.
“It sounds corny, but it really was a true team win,” Greer said. “We played together so well tonight … I can't overstate that. On defense, if we didn't have all eight people working together, Franklin & Marshall would find the hole. On offense, it took ball movement and teamwork. You don't beat a team like F&M with individual efforts. It just doesn't happen.”
Phillips' 10 saves were bolstered by countless other plays that forced Diplomat shots to go wide, as F&M converted just three of its aforementioned 14 free position shots on the night. Messiah's play in the midfield was also strong, as the Falcons kept F&M from successfully clearing three of its 10 attempts; converting 11 of their own 12 at the same time.
The win was Messiah's 14th in its last 15 games, dating back to last season. It was the first time the two schools had ever met in women's lacrosse.
As big as the win was – it was the highest-ranked opponent Messiah has ever defeated in program history – Greer said that in almost every way, it was just another game.
“I don't think this means anything,” she said. “It means that we're working hard to be the best team we can be and we have a game Thursday. It's a big win, it's a fun win, but we never put too much weight on a win or a loss.”
Messiah will now face William Smith College Thursday at 4 p.m., as the Herons defeated 19th-ranked Babson College by a 19-18 score Tuesday. The games are being played as part of the annual Spring Fling event in West Palm Beach, Florida.
