Box Score
Geneva, NY – First-year head coach
Brooke Good couldn't have asked for a better ending to the regular season than the win her Falcons squad put together on Saturday afternoon.
In what was sure to be a preview of the competition level for the Commonwealth Conference playoffs and potentially the NCAA Championships, the Messiah College Falcons (15-3, 8-0 CC) proved they were up for the challenge after trekking to Geneva, N.Y., to take on the 11th-ranked William Smith Herons (14-3) and returning to Grantham with a 2-0 win.
“This [win] was a great way for us to end the regular season and we are really looking forward to a postseason run,” coach Good said after the game. “We would love to carry this momentum into the postseason.”
The Falcons, currently ranked ninth in the NFHCA polls, scored goals at the 2:22 and 40:44 marks of the game to collect their 15th win on the season, and 13th consecutive decision over the Herons. Messiah improves their record to 17-1 all-time against the Herons, with their only loss coming back in 1999.
It was evident from the opening whistle that the Falcons wanted to control the tempo early and get on the board quickly. Crisp, stick-to-stick passing and heads-up decision making allowed the Falcons to press deep into Heron territory very quickly. Senior
Emily Hursh took the game's first shot just 1:15 into the contest.
The early pressure from the Falcons seemed to catch the hosts off balance a little, quickly turning a 0-0 tie into a Messiah lead.
Caroline Wulf picked up her first point of the season on a hard pass into the circle that deflected off the stick of
Kelly Martin, under that of
Emily Bower, and passed the Herons' goalie for the Messiah lead.
Despite an even six shots from each squad towards their respective nets, Martin's fourth goal of the season stood alone on the scoreboard after the first 35 minutes of play.
The Falcons would come out to start the second half very much the same as they did to start the first. Consistent pressure from the Falcons' forwards and an early penalty corner allowed Messiah to double their lead.
Juliana Hershey sent a strong pass to the top of the circle for a waiting
Brooke Sands, who blasted a shot off the left side of the Herons' Catherine Hare for a resounding thud in the back of the net. The goal, Sands' eighth of the season, increased the Falcons' lead to two, a mark that would prove insurmountable for the hosts.
The Falcons' win didn't come without solid chances from the Herons, however. William Smith's Sarah Tompson tallied five hard shots from various spots on the field trying to test the Messiah defense and goalkeeper
Molly Gebrosky.
“Defensively, we were phenomenal. Molly played a great game in the goal, fending off a shot that was simply blasted from one of William Smith's player in the first half.” Good referenced a shot from Tompson just inside the circle at the 15:49 mark of the first half. Gebrosky slid to her right with her blocker to make a last second save to preserve the shutout and the Messiah lead.
Gebrosky and the Falcons came into Saturday's contest with a 0.75 goals against average on the season, a mark that is the fourth-best in all of Division III. William Smith, on the other hand, had been averaging an impressive 4.38 goals per game.
Fortunately for the Falcons, their defense held strong.
The Falcons will begin their defense of the Commonwealth Championship title against the winner of Monday's Arcadia-Stevenson contest. Game time for Wednesday's semifinal game is slated for 4 p.m. on the Falcons' Anderson Field.
Falcons fans are encouraged to follow GoMessiah.com for updates and stories on field hockey's quest for their sixth straight Commonwealth championship. Follow us on Twitter @MessiahSports or on Facebook at Messiah College Atheltics.
