XML Box Score Grantham, PA – Messiah College scored just 33 seconds into their season-opener and never looked back as they defeated Elizabethtown College 18-1 on a sun-filled afternoon on Anderson Field. Lizzy Keeney and Shayna Delaney each scored three goals for the hosts as 11 different Falcons tallied in the victory.
 
The Falcons outshot the Blue Jays 34-8, including 22-5 in the first-half as they built a 12-0 lead. Jenna Stover started things off quickly with a dodge past her defender on the left side to score over Beata Palosz's shoulder. The goal came after just 33 seconds of play and the Falcons added five more tallies before the 20-minute mark of the half. Within that early flurry were back-to-back goals by Shayna Delaney in a 52-second span.
 
Delaney added a third goal later in the half off an assist from Courtney Farlling to give Messiah a 10-0 lead. Goals by Carly Bajus and Farlling made it 12-0 entering the break.
 
In the second-half Claire Stikeleather scored Messiah's 13th-straight goal before Addie Stang put through a free-position shot for Elizabethtown to end the shutout. The teams then played through almost 10 minutes of scoreless action before the Falcons added five more goals to complete the win.
 
"We believe that we have a chance to get better every time we step on the field," Messiah head coach Heather Greer said. "Today we had a chance to work on our ride and our fundamentals. That's valuable for us especially since the weather has been a challenge early on."
 
The weather constraints to which Greer referred—low temperatures, record snowfall, and freezing rain that has covered the Mid-Atlantic region for most of the preseason—were visible only in the snow banks on Saturday, as Messiah dominated every facet of their match-up with Elizabethtown.
 
"Our team really enjoys playing with each other and for each other, which is great to see," Greer said. "This was a great opportunity for us to get on the field and compete. We'll keep working from here to improve."
 
The Falcons will wait a week before playing again. They will host No. 6 Gettysburg College on Saturday, Mar. 1 at 1:00 p.m.

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