Grantham, PA – The Messiah College field hockey team will begin their Commonwealth Championship title defense this week, albeit from an unfamiliar position. The No. 4-seeded Falcons will travel to No. 1 Arcadia University on Wednesday for a 7:00 game.
 
Season Snapshot
The Falcons finished 5-2 in the Commonwealth Conference with both losses being 1-0 margins to Arcadia and Lebanon Valley. The two conference losses mark just the second time since 2000 the Falcons suffered multiple conference defeats in a single regular-season.

Outside the conference the Falcons finished 7-4. All four of the Falcons' non-conference losses were one-goal defeats to teams currently ranked in the top six in the country. While the Falcons are not currently nationally ranked, they did spend much of the season in the top 20 of the NFHCA poll, reaching as high as 11th on Sept. 9.
 
Scouting the Falcons (12-6, 5-2)
The Falcons are full of youth and talent. Of the 12 players that have started at least 10 games for the Falcons, eight are freshmen or sophomores.

The Falcons lead the Commonwealth in offense (3.21 goals per game) and their top three point scorers are underclassmen. Freshman Carissa Gehman leads the Falcons' offense in goals (22) and points (45) while sophomore Moriah Pfautz leads the team in assists (6). Pfautz has also added eight goals of her own for 22 total points. Freshman Taylor Holt has not shot often, but when she does she's lethal. Holt has seven goals on only 22 shots for a .318 shooting percentage (19 points).

Lindsay Bower and Nicole Wilkerson provide stability in the midfield while an experienced defensive unit of Becky Ely, Sara Brooks, and Brittany Horst has allowed just 1.67 goals per game. In her first year in frame, senior goalkeeper Carly Day has made 71 saves and holds a .703 save percentage on the season.
 

Scouting the Field

No. 1 Arcadia Knights (13-6, 6-1)
Arcadia enters the Commonwealth Tournament on a bit of a hot streak. After starting the season off 6-5, the Knights reeled off seven straight wins before falling in their regular season finale to William Paterson.

The Knights have a balanced attack with Debbie Wolf (8g, 6a) and Katrina Dull (9g, 4a) leading the charge with 22 points each. Dull also owns an astounding .818 shooting percentage on just 11 shots on the year.

The Knights will hold home field advantage through out the Tournament, where they have been outstanding this year. Arcadia has not lost at home since a season-opening defeat to Richard Stockton (2-1) back in August. Since then they have won eight home games in a row and have outscored their opponents 25-9 in those games.

            When they met – On Homecoming in Grantham, the Falcons fell to the Knights 1-0. Arcadia's lone score was a goal off a corner in the 30th minute. While the Falcons dominated possession and outshot the Knights 21-8, they could not find the back of the cage.
 
No. 2 Alvernia Crusaders (12-7, 5-2)
Like Arcadia, Alvernia enters the Commonwealth Tournament on a hot streak. After starting the season 2-4, the Cursaders played to a 10-3 record the rest of the season and are currently on a four game winning streak.

Sophomore Margaret Wentzel powers the Alveria offense. Wentzel (22g, 8a) is second in the conference in points (52). Summer Liberto (7g, 5a) and Natalie Messaros (6g, 7a) are also players on watch on the offensive end, as both players have 19 points on the year.

On the defensive end, goalkeeper Erin Wunsch has made 122 saves for the Crusaders and has allowed 1.87 goals per game on the season.

            When they met – On Oct. 4 in Reading the Falcons won 3-2 over Alvernia. The Falcons and Crusaders traded goals throughout the first half, taking a 2-2 tie into the intermission. With 16 seconds left in regulation, Gehman scored on a breakaway, giving the Falcons a 3-2 victory. Alvernia actually outshot the Falcons 14-5 in the game.
 
No. 3 Lebanon Valley Dutchman (14-3, 5-2)
The Dutchmen enter the Commonwealth Tournmanet on a bit of a stumble. After beginning the season 14-1, Lebanon Valley dropped their final two matches of the year to the teams seeded ahead of them – Arcadia (2-1) and Alvernia (4-0). Despite those two losses the Dutchmen are still ranked No. 15 in the country.

Goalkeeper Kendra Moll anchors the conference's best defense (1.24 goals per game) while a balanced offense attack lead by Lyndee Sheaffer (16g, 2a) and Lauren Brumbach (9g, 8a) find the back of the cage 3.12 times per contest.

While the Dutchmen have been strong on the road this season (7-1) they will need to travel to the site of their lone defeat in the first round when they take on the Crusaders in Reading, Pa. on Wednesday night.

            When they met – On Oct. 11, the Falcons fell 1-0 to the Dutchmen in Annville. Lebanon Valley scored off a corner in the 29th minute and the Falcons could only muster five shots to the Dutchmen's seven.
 
Conference Championship History
Messiah has made 26 appearances in the MAC or Commonwealth Championships since 1984 and have taken home 20 conference titles. Since 2001 the Falcons have claimed all but one championship, with their lone defeat coming to Lebanon Valley in 2006.

Related Videos

Now Playing:

• Play Video