Box Score
Grantham, PA - Dickinson College scored three goals in the final 7:30 of the game to earn a come-from-behind, 11-9 win over Messiah. Kelly Haglund scored both the game-tying and go-ahead goals in a span of less than 80 seconds, with both goals scored on clear out plays to the right side.
Haglund's game-tying score came two minutes after
Lizzy Keeney gave Messiah a 9-8 lead with under ten minutes to play. The goal was Keeney's team-leading third of the game, as she snuck behind the cage for a quick shot inside the left post. It stood as the fourth lead change of the night and, at the time, put Messiah in front.
But Dickinson fought back as they had all night, with Haglund pushing to the right side for a shot to the top-shelf against Messiah's
Taylor Phillips.
Seventy-three seconds later, Haglund put Dickinson up 10-9 on almost the exact same action.
“Taylor is a clutch player, and she does well under pressure,” Messiah head coach
Heather Greer said. “She led our defense tonight, but we had some sliding difficulties and (Dickinson) took advantage of them.”
Dickinson managed to regain possession a minute later, forcing Messiah to pressure their stall and, ultimately, giving up an open-net goal with 2:29 left on the clock.
The Falcons last good look at a goal came from
Kiersten McGreer with under ninety seconds to play, but her shot went wide of the cage as Dickinson again took over.
“We were very sloppy in our fundamentals tonight,” Greer said. “When you play against a really good team like Dickinson, you can't play the way we did and expect to win.”
Messiah did get off to a quick start in the game, as McGreer scored two of her team's first three goals to give the Falcons a 3-1 lead. But the Red Devils responded with three-straight goals of their own to go up 4-3. The deficit could have been worse for Messiah if not for Phillips' two saves on free-position shots by Dickinson.
The Falcons tied the game 4-4 on a goal by Keeney, as she took a pass from behind the cage from
Carly Bajus for the score with less than a minute before the half.
In exciting fashion, Messiah then regained the lead with just six ticks left before the break.
Cecilia Kjellman turned down a free position shot as the ball worked around to
Claire Stikeleather, with the freshman wrapping around the front of the cage for a perfectly placed shot past Grace Morelli.
After halftime, Keeney expanded the Falcons' lead to 6-4 with a running score in front of the Dickinson cage. Kjellman assisted on the play.
Dickinson quickly tied the game, however, as Carly O'Brien and Clare Manoli made good on free-position shots to even the score.
After the teams traded goals to make it 7-7, Carly O'Brien put the Red Devils up with a dynamic, one-on-one move past her defender on the left side for a shot past Phillips. A moment later, Dickinson's Jennifer Morrissey almost pushed the lead to 9-7 with an open shot in front of Phillips, only to see the goalie make the quick save to keep it a one-goal game.
Phillips fine stick work would be rewarded, as
Gabrielle Hamelryck tied the game up at 8-8 with 11:54 to play. Her unassisted score on the right side went over the near shoulder of goalie Grace Morelli for her only goal of the game.
Two minutes later, Keeney gave Messiah the aforementioned 9-8 lead that wouldn't hold up.
“It was back and forth the whole game, which makes it exciting,” Greer said. “No lead is ever big enough, because teams can score so quickly. We never felt comfortable out there.”
“Honestly, our offense was not executed well tonight,” Greer continued, commenting on her team's need to be more aggressive. “We were waiting too much for things to happen, and played with our 'feet in the mud.' Our offense tonight was poor.”
The win for the Red Devils avenges an 11-10 loss to Messiah last year on Dickinson's home field. They move to 2-2 on the season, while Messiah falls to 1-2.
“Losses force you to think about what needs to be fixed,” Greer said, reflecting on the Falcons' current two-game losing streak. “We've lost a few games now, and that will force us to learn and play better.”
The Falcons will look to rebound on Saturday, Mar. 9, when they play host to No. 6 TCNJ at 1:00 p.m.
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