Box Score
Grantham, PA - Messiah scored three goals in a 31-second span of the first-half on Thursday, and rode an 11-2 halftime lead to a 16-6 win over Widener University. The victory moves No. 16 Messiah to 4-4 on the season and 1-0 in the Commonwealth.
Lizzy Keeney scored five times for the Falcons, with
Gabrielle Hamelryck handing out four assists.
Kiersten McGreer also added three goals as Messiah outshot the Pride 35-13.
To start the game, Messiah went up 6-0 by the 20:42 mark of the first-half. Six different players collected scores, with
Claire Stikeleather (23:51), McGreer (23:32), and Keeney (23:20) all notching goals in a 31-second flurry that put the Falcons on top 4-0.
Widener responded to their 6-0 deficit by scoring twice, but then saw Messiah score eight unanswered goals across the first- and second-halves to take a 14-2 lead.
Messiah's offensive streak was aided by 20 ground balls in the first-half—11 more than the Pride. For the second game in a row, the Falcons' care with the ball also made a difference; in the past two games, Messiah has turned the ball over just 23 total times (13 on Thursday) after averaging 18.8 turnovers through the first six games of the season.
Stikeleather and
Cecilia Kjellman each added two goals, with Kjellman collecting two assists for the second-straight game. Altogether, eight different Falcons scored while Keeney totaled five goals in a single game for the third time this season.
The Falcons also managed to play three goalies, with
Chelsey Anderson and
Megan Beardsley backing up
Taylor Phillips (three saves).
The loss for Widener drops them to 4-4 overall and 0-1 in the Commonwealth.
Messiah will next play on Wednesday, April 3 when they travel to Lycoming College for another conference contest. Game time is set for 4:00 p.m.
WLAX: Falcons Run Over Pride Gallery
