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Grantham, PA – Looking to book a ticket to their third conference championship game in four years, the Messiah College Falcons defeated Alvernia University 19-5 on Wednesday on the Falcons' Anderson Field. Messiah, ranked #1 in the Commonwealth Championships and #7 in the most recent IWLCA Top 20 poll, will square off with Elizabethtown College on Saturday, May 5, for the league title.
On Wednesday, the Falcons fell behind 0-1 on an unassisted goal by senior Sam Landis at the 28:47 mark of the first half. Unfazed, Messiah College scored 12 straight goals as they took a 13-2 lead at the halftime.
Sophomore
Lizzy Keeney collected all four of her assists in that first half, with senior Jamie Gerhart scoring all four of her game-high four goals before intermission.
In the second half, the Falcons would take advantage of their depth as all players saw field time. Senior
Cecilia Kjellman scored all three of her goals in the final 30:00 of play in her first game back from a recent injury.
Much like the game between these two teams from just weeks ago, it was mostly a one-sided contest as nine different Falcons scored at least one goal, with Keeny joining Kjellman with three goals scored. Senior
Rachel Dirksen, junior
Kiersten McGreer, and senior
Meghan Doolittle each scored two goals.
“It's always a challenge when you play a team twice in such a short period of time,” Messiah head coach
Heather Greer said. “We approached this game the right way, knowing it was an entirely new game. We knew we had things we could improve on, including knowing that we could finish better and play better defense.”
In total, the Falcons took 42 shots to the Crusaders' 23 to take their large halftime lead—a far cry from the 6-5 lead they held at the halftime of these teams' regular season meeting.
“We still believe we can get better,” Greer continued, referencing some sloppy play by the Falcons during the game. “We want to focus on our fundamentals each time we step on the field, so we're glad we'll have another opportunity to do just that.”
With win, the Falcons (15-2, 6-0) will move into the Commonwealth Championships final where they will be opposed by Elizabethtown College. Messiah defeated E-town 13-10 in Grantham, Pa., earlier this season. The game will be hosted by the Falcons at 1:00 p.m.
“We've been battling each other for a couple years,” Greer said, reflecting on the upcoming match-up with the Blue Jays. “You like to go against great teams, and E-town is a great team. It seems like the two of us have been battling for a couple years, and we're always 'in the mix' together. We'll prepare as best we can, and that starts with focusing on what we can control.”
