Grantham, PA – Messiah College women's soccer will look to earn their seventh-straight Commonwealth Championship this week. They will begin the chase on Thursday as the No. 1 seed when they play host to No. 4 Lebanon Valley College.  
 
Season Snapshot
 
The Falcons finished 9-0 in the Commonwealth to account for their 11th-straight undefeated conference regular-season; Messiah currently has a 95 game win in conference regular-season contests.
 
Outside of the conference Messiah went 7-2-1 with one-goal losses to both Johns Hopkins and William Smith. Their lone tie came against Misericordia, 0-0. In all each of those three games the Falcons actually took more shots than their opponents, including a 34-7 edge against Misericordia.
 
In total, the Falcons have outscored their opponents 51-5, including a 33-1 advantage against conference foes. Messiah is currently ranked No. 8 in the D3Soccer.com Top 25 and No. 9 in the NSCAA Top 25 polls, respectively.
 
Scouting the No. 1 Falcons (16-2-1, 9-0)
 
Though Messiah has outscored their opponents by 46 goals thus far, they aren't scoring a clip like Falcons fans are used to seeing. But don't be fooled. Commonwealth Offensive Player of the Year Nikki Elsaesser (17g, 4a) has become as tough a match-up as any other team can offer up front, while Corinne Wulf (6g, 5a; 56 career goals) provides a talented, veteran presence. Macaulay Soto (5g, 5a), Emily Schneider (5g, 4a), and Marisa Weaver (4g, 2a) have also become threats while Holly Burgard's team-high eight assists show she's capable of making good things happen.
 
Commonwealth Defensive Player of the Year Alicia Frey may be the most versatile player in the nation and leads a Falcons' midfield and defense that is ranked No. 3 in the NCAA with a 0.260 goals against average (GAA) and No. 4 with a 0.789 shutout percentage. Ali Rogers, Ashley Locke, Hannah Weyland all roam the back line and, along with keeper Audra Larson, were all recognized as All-Commonwealth performers. Larson has played every minute for the Falcons and registered a Commonwealth-best 0.11 GAA in nine conference games.
 
Scouting the Field
 
No. 2 Elizabethtown (12-6, 7-2)
 
The Blue Jays nearly doubled their opponents scoring output (53-37) while launching 17.4 shots per game. All but 11 of Elizabethtown's goals were assisted and they created plenty of havoc with 105 total corners. Lauren Berry, in her first year in the Commonwealth, leads the team with 16 goals and three assists while five others have each scored at least five goals and collected double-digit points. Dana Robidoux has played almost 1,400 minutes and holds a 1.68 GAA and 0.725 save percentage.
 
The Blue Jays' only two losses in the conference were to Messiah and Arcadia.
   
No. 3 Stevenson (12-7-1, 5-3-1)
 
The Mustangs scored 45 goals and allowed just 21 to their opponents, and they also put 0.509 percent of their shots on goal. Alexis Siejack leads the team with 13 goals and four assists to lead four total players in double-digit scoring. First-year keeper Annie McCoach holds a 0.96 GAA with 0.762 save percentage across 18 games (16 starts).
 
The Mustangs' four non-wins in conference came in four-straight games (Arcadia tie; losses to Lebanon Valley, Messiah, and Elizabethtown).
   
No. 4 Lebanon Valley (11-7-2, 5-4)
 
The Dutchmen have scored just 36 goals this season while allowing 20 but have put 0.521 percent of their shots on frame. Their defensive unit has also held opponents to less than 10 shots per game (9.9). Four players have notched double-digit points led by Sammy Bost (8g, 10a) and Amanda Douglass (5g, 7a). Becca Sykes boasts a .800 save percentage and 1.06 GAA.
 
Conference losses for the Dutchmen were to Messiah, Albright, Elizabethtown, and Widener.
   
Commonwealth Championships History
 
Messiah has advanced to the Commonwealth Championships Final in every season since 2000, winning 12 titles. Messiah's lone loss in the Final came to Elizabethtown in 2006. 

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