Grantham, PA – No. 1 Messiah College scored once in the first two minutes and twice in the final four to defeat Albright College 3-0 on Saturday afternoon. Between their tallies the Falcons did not allow a single shot as they dominated possession and territory.
 
The shutout was the Falcons 11th in 14 games, and they moved to 14-0-1 overall and 4-0-1 in the Commonwealth.
 
The Falcons' opened the Homecoming Day with excitment, as Marisa Weaver put through a goal in just the second minute. She took a slot from Holly Burgard on the play to tally for the 11th time this season.
 
Despite scoring so quickly, Messiah was unable to build their lead for the rest of the first-half and most of the second-half. Much of that was due to Albright's defensive approach, with seven or eight Lions players positioned within Messiah's attacking third. Nevertheless, the Falcons did not give away many opportunities.
 
In the final minutes Messiah finally added to their lead and ran away from the Lions. In the 87th minute Macaulay Soto collected her second goal the season, taking a pass across the box from Nikki Elsaesser for a strong strike into the net.
 
Less than two minutes later Soto returned the favor to Elsaesser, finding the Falcons' leading scorer with a through ball into the box for a one-timer over the goal line. The tally was Elsaesser's 17th of the season.
 
The final two goals allowed the score to be more reflective of Messiah's dominant play. They finished with a 24-0 edge in shots and 12-1 advantage in corners. It was the third time this season they did not allow a shot to their opponent.
 
The Falcons will next play on Tuesday, Oct. 21 when they host Hood College at 7:00 p.m. It will be Messiah's last regular-season home game of the season.