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.
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The shutout was the Falcons 11th in 14 games, and they moved to 14-0-1 overall and 4-0-1 in the Commonwealth.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
