Grantham, PA – Messiah College women's soccer heads into the Commonwealth Tournament this week and will start things off with Lebanon Valley on Wednesday night. The Falcons finished atop the conference standings at 7-0-1, tied with Stevenson. The Mustangs took the tiebreaker from the Falcons for seeding purposes thanks to a 2-0 win over Lebanon Valley from this past weekend. (Messiah also defeated Lebanon Valley during the regular-season, but they did so by just a 1-0 margin.)
Messiah will play Lebanon Valley at 6:00 on Shoemaker Field, with winner to advance to Saturday's Commonwealth Championship.
Season SnapshotThe Falcons currently hold the nation's No. 1 ranking thanks to an 18-0-1 overall record. They're riding a five-game win streak following their 1-1 tie with Stevenson in mid-October, and they've allowed just four goals on the season.
Outside of their conference, Messiah has gone 11-0, with four wins coming against teams currently ranked in the NSCAA Top 15.
Scouting the Falcons (18-0-1, 7-0-1)Messiah is scoring 3.79 goals per game with an impressive 0.21 goals against average (GAA). They're averaging 20.3 shots per game while relenting less than five shots on average (4.4) to their opponents.
Nikki Elsaesser leads the team in goal (19) and points (47), with her point total eclipsing last season's 46 points for a new career-high.
Marisa Weaver is also having a career year with 14 goals and 10 assists to back-up Elsaesser's scoring.
Five other Falcons have double-digit point totals on the season:
Kyele Bridel (21),
Holly Burgard (16),
Erin Sollenberger (15),
Mackenzie Clapper (13), and
Macaulay Soto (12).
Defensively, the Falcons' defense includes both experience and youth, with players including
Hannah Weyland,
Ashley Locke, and
Kayla Deckert protecting keeper
Audra Larson. Larson is a dynamic force in the net, carring a .905 save percentage to go along with the 0.21 GAA.
Scouting the FieldNo. 1 Stevenson Mustangs (9-5-4, 7-0-1)The Mustangs went unbeaten in the conference for the first time in program history, and earned the No. 1 seed in the Tournament by way of the tiebreaker over Messiah. They're currently riding an eight-game unbeaten streak after starting the season 2-3-5 in their first 10 games. They're averaging 2.22 goals per game while carrying a 1.06 GAA. Kellen Whitman leads five double-digit scorers with 20 points and Tiffany McKee leads four first-year keepers with 12 starts and a team-best 0.81 GAA.
When they met – Nikki Elsaesser ended a stalemate in the 55th minute with a brilliant goal from the left corner of the 18, momentarily putting Messiah on top 1-0. But the Mustangs found a game-tying goal against the run of play in the 73rd minute, with Lauren Spivey putting through a short cross from Isabella Ekeze. The two teams played through wind and a wet turf for 110 minutes before settling for the 1-1 draw.
No. 3 Lebanon Valley Dutchmen (14-3-1, 6-2)The Dutchmen dropped a 2-0 decision to Stevenson on the regular-season's final day, and they also lost to Messiah (1-0). The only other loss on their schedule is to current No. 15 Misericordia, and they have unbeaten streaks of both nine and five games this year. They average 2.94 goals per game and have an even 1.00 GAA, and they're led in scoring by Sammy Bost with 16 goals and six assists. Amanda Douglass (8g, 7a) has also eclipsed the 20-point mark and three others players have at least 10 points. Taylor Reinhold has started all 18 games in net and carries a .804 save percentage.
When they met – In another close game, Messiah found a game-winner in the 67th minute off the foot of
Kyele Bridel. The Falcons finished with a 23-2 advantage in shots, and also outcornered the Dutchmen 12-2. Still, the game ended just 1-0 in Messiah's favor.
No. 4 Arcadia Knights (14-3, 5-3)The Knights were riding a five-game win streak (all shutouts) before dropping two of their past three games to each Lebanon Valley (1-0) and Messiah (4-0). They hold opponents down with a solid 0.58 GAA, and they're scoring 2.11 goals per game themselves.
Arcadia arrives into the Semifinal after beating No. 5 Albright 5-1 in Monday's Quarterfinal game.
When they met – On the final day of the regular-season, Messiah scored three second-half goals to win 4-0 on the road over the Knights. Four different Falcons scored, including
Holly Burgard who put through the Falcons' first tally in just the third minute of action. Lennon Kramer leads the team in goals (12) and points (27) with Kim Canfield adding six goals and 11 assists for 23 points. Karis Poore (18) and Jack Glanfield (15) are also in double-digit points. Veronica Willig holds a 0.817 save percentage in goal.
Conference Championship HistoryMessiah has won 13 of the past 14 Commonwealth Championships, all under head coach
Scott Frey. The Falcons have defeated Stevenson in each of the past two conference title games, including 1-0 last season.
