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San Antonio, TX - Senior
Rachel Scheibeler broke a scoreless tie just minutes into the second half against Misericordia on Friday, opening the floodgates for Messiah as the Falcons rode a 3-0 win to their sixth-straight National Final.
The Falcons and Cougars—representatives of the Middle Atlantic Conference's Commonwealth and Freedom divisions, respectively—played to a draw through the first 45 minutes before Messiah finally broke through off the foot of Scheibeler. The Falcons' second-leading scorer corralled a loose ball in the box, sending home a short shot to put Messiah ahead. The flurry in front of the goal was started moments earlier off a long serve from
Emily Schneider, with
Alex Brandt's ensuing attempt deflected on the goal line before Scheibeler picked it up.
The score was Scheibeler's 15th on the season, with Brandt collecting her 14th assist.
“We were joking with her after the game, calling her 'Final Four Scheibs,'” Messiah head coach
Scott Frey said after the game, referring to Scheibeler's standout NCAA Tournament play in both 2011 and this season. “She was unbelievable for us tonight.”
Scheibeler's goal broke a bit of tension on the field, as Messiah's had nothing to show to that point on 11 shots.
“We knew we were playing well, but we also knew we could be better,” Scheibeler said. “At halftime, we talked about keeping our energy up, attacking them, and staying within our system.”
The Falcons' system proved successful, as Scheibeler's score was soon followed by a goal from
Nikki Elsaesser. Fed at the top of the 18-yard line from
Holly Burgard, Elsaesser turned over her left shoulder to attack quickly into the right side of the box. A sharp strike went past a diving Maureen Ciccosanti as Messiah took a 2-0 in the 56th minute of play.
“I think we made (Misericordia) a little tired in the second half,” Frey said of his team, who also
defeated the Cougars in the regular-season. “We were able to use our wide players more and space the field, and we started to play how we practiced.”
Though Messiah did command possession and territory in the first half, they especially dominated the Cougars in the final 45 minutes. The Falcons took 14 shots after the break, with Misericordia unable to collect a single one. Overall, the Falcons outshot the Cougars 23 to two.
Senior
Elizabeth Phillips scored the game's final goal in the 83rd minute, taking a feed from
Mackenzie Clapper on the left side before making a sharp cut into the left edge of the box for a shot inside the far post. It was Phillips' sixth goal on a season, impressive considering her defensive assignment.
“Our seniors were really good tonight, with Scheibeler, Alex, Anne (Trapp), and Liz,” Frey said, continuing to name players. “Liz put herself in a good spot for that score and made a big play.”
For Messiah, Friday was their second-straight NCAA Tournament game in which they've
scored three goals in the second half after being held scoreless through halftime.
In the first half, Messiah did have more than a few chances to take an early lead. The Falcons were unable to capitalize on three separate scrambles in the box within the first 20 minutes, with
Anne Trapp also hitting the crossbar on a laser from 23 yards out in the midfield. More than a few times the Falcons also managed to send long volleys from the end lines to the far side of the goal, all of which were either saved or cleared out by the Cougars' defense.
On the other end of the field, Misericordia did little in their counter, as Messiah managed to contain the dynamic attack of Sam Helmstetter and Laura Roney.
“I thought we did a good job of keeping them in front of us in the first half,” head coach Mark Stauffer said. “But we didn't hold possession when we got it, and we couldn't do much with our counter. Their pressure got to us.”
After the intermission Messiah almost scored ahead of Scheibeler's goal, as Burgard received a cross from Schneider on the six-yard line in front of the net. Her attempt was deflected away, however, as the two teams remained knotted at 0-0 until Scheibeler's game-winner.
Outside of the shot totals, Messiah took seven corners to Misericordia's zero, with Maureen Ciccosanti collecting three saves in the goal. Messiah's
Audra Larson was untested in the Falcons' net.
The loss for Misericordia ends their season at 20-3-2, as they became the first team in school history to advance into a NCAA Sweet 16 in any sport.
“The leadership from this core group of upperclassmen has been great,” Stauffer said of his team. “They believed we could accomplish all that we have. Messiah is a good team, and they played well. We'll hope to make another run in the future.”
For No. 1 Messiah, the win moves them to 23-1-1 as they advance into their NCAA Division III women's soccer-record sixth-straight National Final. The defending champions from a year ago, they will face No. 16 Emory University in a rematch of Messiah's lone defeat this season—a
2-1, overtime loss at the hands of the Eagles in early September.
“(Advancing this far) is always enjoyable, to say the least,” Frey said of his team's Final berth. “You don't begin a season saying you'll get here, because you know how hard it is. Each group is different, and this group has really come together in the past several weeks.”
“We're a little different than the last time we played them,” Frey continued, speaking of the Falcons' upcoming game with Emory. “They're a very well-coached team, and I'm sure it will be an end-to-end game like it was the first time around.”
The women's National Final will follow the men's Final, with the Messiah College men taking on Ohio Northern. The women's game will start at 5:30 p.m. CT.
“We talk about playing our best at the end of the season,” Fred added. “That's what we've done, and we'll look to continue that tomorrow.”
