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Grantham, PA – Messiah women's soccer continued their early season tour of national juggernauts on Saturday, playing No. 1 William Smith College to a 1-1 tie on Shoemaker Field. The two rivals, familiar with each from NCAA Final Four match-ups in
2010 and
2011, completed the draw even after pausing play for a 1 hour, 40 minute rain delay.
The decision moves Messiah to 2-1-1 on the season, with Saturday's draw following a 2-1, overtime loss to then-No. 6 Emory and a 4-0 win over current-No. 3 Johns Hopkins University. William Smith falls to 2-0-1.
On Saturday, the game between the No. 5 Falcons and Herons lived up to its billing. The Herons scored first in the contest, with Renee Jensen cleaning up a loose ball in the Falcons' box to put her team ahead in the 16th minute of play. Her shot came after two previous shots by the Herons—by herself and teammate Dineo Mmutla—were saved and blocked, respectively.
The goal shifted the game's momentum, especially after Messiah missed out on a terrific opportunity for an early lead just 10 minutes beforehand. That opportunity—a penalty kick attempt by senior
Alex Brandt—came just under six minutes into the game, and seemed like the perfect chance to take a quick lead. But the Herons' Chelsea Dunay made a dive to block the attempt, setting up her teammates to take a lead soon after.
With the Herons now in front, the skies opened up. A lightning storm suspended play for a full 100 minutes, causing fans and players to hope for wait in suspense for play to continue.
When the game did restart, the Falcons came out strong. Three shots—all from within the Herons' box— were put goal in the final minutes of the first half. Though neither shot managed to even the score, the tempo of the game seemed to suggest the game would not end with a 1-0 score.
Sure enough, the Falcons found their equalizer soon after the intermission.
With the Herons losing possession in the midfield, Messiah defender
Ali Rogers played a ball down the right sideline for freshman Trishia Tshudy. Collecting the ball off a high bounce, Tshudy touched the ball over her defender and found herself attacking the box an a slant towards the end line. As she closed to within 10 yards of the goal, Tshudy put a hard cross on the ground to the middle of the field where junior
Alicia Frey put a strike on the ball past Dunay.
Considering the game barely survived the rain, the goal energized the Falcons as they now found themselves on even ground with William Smith.
“I'm proud of the way we came out of the delay,” Messiah head coach
Scott Frey said. “It's not easy coming back on the field, down a goal, and realizing it's only a 70-plus minute game. William Smith is a good team, we managed to get a big score.”
Messiah almost managed to take the lead not long after Tshudy's score, with senior
Rachel Scheibeler's running strike from 23 yards out in the midfield being punched over the post by Dunay.
From that point forward, the two powerhouse teams traded opportunities to take the lead, with each team coming especially close in the 85th minute of play. First, William Smith found an open attack towards the Falcons goal, with Mmutla receiving the ball on the right side. With Messiah keeper
Audra Larson the only defender between her and the goal, Mmutla let a shot fly from 20 yards out towards the right side of the net. Larson, a freshman keeper for the Falcons, made a diving leap to the corner for the one-handed save.
“Audra has been really steady for us,” Frey said. “She's done a great job, and that was a great save to keep us even.”
Just seconds later, the Falcons nearly made the score uneven. A cross from the right side of the field went to the far post of the Herons' goal, where it was met by junior
Emily Schneider and her defender. Schneider managed to get a foot on the ball, but Dunay made a diving save of her own to deflect the ball off the post before gathering it into her hands.
In the overtime periods, Messiah and William Smith continued to battle for the lead. The Falcons found a few chances at the net in the first overtime session, but couldn't capitalize on any for a score.
“We created good chances today, and we've been doing that for a few games now,” Frey said, reflecting on his team's chances to take the lead on Saturday. “We're doing good things out there, and we believe they'll pay off.”
In total, the Falcons took an astounding 23 shots against just nine for the Herons. Chelsea Dunay collected 16 saves for William Smith, demonstrating both how close Messiah came to a game-winner and how proficient Dunay was in the box.
Larson collected five saves for Messiah.
The tie brings to an end an eight-day stretch that should rival that of any other NCAA team this season. Frey believes the games will only help his team as the season moves forward.
“It's been an interesting stretch for us, and in the end I think it will make us better,” Frey said. “We've had to fight and battle for every minute of the past three games, and those are good characteristics to develop.
“We've had players that have really led us in this stretch, the least of which is not Alex,” Frey added, referring to the stellar play of midfielder
Alex Brandt—a primary mark of the Herons' defense on Saturday. “She's been a workhorse on both sides of the ball, with her defense especially making a difference for us. She's been playing really well.”
The Falcons will return to action on Wednesday, September 12, when they host Muhlenberg College on Shoemaker Field. The game is set for 7:00 p.m., and will mark the fifth of nine non-conference games Messiah has to start the 2012 season.
