Grantham, PA - Messiah College enters the 2012 Commonwealth Championships looking for their third league title in past four years and, for the second straight year, the Falcons will be opposed by Alvernia University in their first game. In 2011, the
Falcons defeated the Crusaders by the score of 23-5 in the MAC Championships' semifinal round after receiving a bye through the quarterfinals.
This year, the MAC is split for the first time into two divisions—the Commonwealth and the Freedom—with Messiah College looking for a third trip to the NCAA Championships under head coach
Heather Greer.
In 2012, the Falcons completed their regular season with a record of 14-2, including a perfect
6-0 in Commonwealth play. Wednesday's semifinal match-up with the Crusaders will be rematch of their April 21 game at Alvernia—
a 21-6 victory for the Falcons that saw Messiah outscore their hosts 15-1 in the second half.
Currently, the Falcons are ranked #8 in the IWLCA Top 20 poll—the highest ranking in program history for Messiah College. (Update: One day after this story was posted, the IWLCA Top 20 poll listed Messiah College as #7, a new program best.)
A talented and battle-tested group of seniors will lead Messiah in the conference event, with
MAC Scholar Athlete award winner Rachel Dirksen at the front of the pack. In the
regular season's final weekend Dirksen became Messiah's all-time leader in career assists (101) and draw controls (226). Earlier in the season, Dirksen became the Falcons'
all-time leader in career goals scored (currently 231) and career points (currently 332).
Dirksen's accolades aside, Messiah's strengths reside in their overwhelming and balanced attack. Sophomore
Lizzy Keeney (48) and senior
Meghan Doolittle (30) have also scored at least 30 goals this season, with four others tallying double-digit scores. The Falcons led the Commonwealth in scoring (15.94), with their 102 assists also pacing their conference rivals.
Defensively, the Falcons have been equally as imposing. They have caused a conference-best 11 turnovers per game while allowing only 8.06 goals per game to their opponents. Senior
Rachel Coyle (46 draw controls, team high 45 groundballs) and junior
Maddie Comfort (28 groundballs, 32 draw controls) have been formidable stoppers for Messiah, with goalkeepers
Taylor Phillips and
Kelsey Luck combining for a .471 save percentage—second best in the Commonwealth.
The winner of Messiah vs. Alvernia will take on the winner of Lebanon Valley vs. Elizabethtown on Saturday, May 5, for the Commonwealth Championships final.
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
#4 Alvernia University at #1 Messiah College 4:00 PM
#3 Lebanon Valley College at #2 Elizabethtown College 3:30 PM
Saturday, May 5, 2012
Winners of Commonwealth Championships Semifinals 1:00 PM
