Box Score
Chester, PA - Messiah College scored five straight goals to open their match-up with Widener University, never looking back in a 15-5 win. Senior
Rachel Dirksen scored 6 goals and assisted on another as the Falcons moved to 11-2 overall, including 3-0 in the Commonwealth Conference.
The Falcons, ranked #9 in the most recent
IWLCA National Top 20 poll, went up 7-2 at the intermission over the host Pride, with Dirksen, sophomore
Lizzy Keeney, and junior
Maddie Comfort each scoring two goals through the first 30:00. For Comfort, a defender, it was her second and third goals of the season following
her election as the Commonwealth Player of the Week on Monday.
The Falcons' assault continued in the second half, as Dirksen (2) and junior
Kiersten McGreer combined for three more goals in the first 5:25 of play to effectively put the game out of reach for Widener.
"In the beginning of the game, we were really intentional about our possession," head coach
Heather Greer said, reflecting on the team's commitment to developing better patience and balance in their attack. "Once we did attack, we got ourselves a lot of great looks at the goal."
"(Megan Dunn) was really good for Widener in goal," Greer continued. "She's a very talented player, but we were able to really work for great opportunities."
Defensively, the Falcons were dominant. Comfort and senior
Rachel Coyle combined for eight caused turnovers while keeping the Pride's Julia Costello and Rachel Porter scoreless until just 3:22 remained in the game. The two had entered with a combined 59 goals in 2012.
"From start to finish, our defense was solid," Greer said. "RC (Coyle) was a great leader out there for us-- her voice on the field and her sense of the game is a huge factor for us."
Greer was also quick to point to the defensive play of sophomore
Emily Mumford and her ability to break-up the Widener attack.
In total, the Falcons' benefitted from controlling the possession as they collected 26 groundballs-- eight more than Widener-- and more than twice the number of shots as their hosts (36-15).
"We want to pour all of our effort into each game," Greer said, pointing to the spirited play of senior Jamie Gerhart as an example. "Jamie had tremendous 'second-effort' today, reacting quickly to the play around her and any mistakes on the field. She showed great hustle, and our entire team fed off of it."
For the Pride, the loss drops them 6-6 overall and 2-2 in the conference. They had entered today's contest coming off an 22-12 win over Lycoming College on Saturday.
Messiah will next play on Saturady, April 21, when they travel to Reading, Pa., to take on Alvernia University. Game time is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.
