XML Box Score Grantham, PA - The Falcons scored seven unanswered goals in the early stages of the first half and pulled ahead by as many as 12 in the second half, en route to an 18-10 victory over Commonwealth Conference opponent Albright College.
Offensive production came in waves for the Falcons (5-6, 2-1) with
Madi Brunk putting Messiah on the board just 54 seconds into the game. The Lions (5-8, 0-3) responded with the equalizer just four minutes later, but Messiah took control for the next 10 minutes, scoring seven straight goals.
Following a timeout, the Falcons took less than 30 seconds to clear and find
Claire Stikeleather for her 13th goal of the season and the 2-1 lead. Just five minutes later, Stikeleather fed
Lizzy Keeney who netted her first of six goals on the day. Keeney's goal brought her career total to 200 and helped ignite an offensive surge for the Falcons. Like Stikeleather, Keeney's next points came from helpers as she assisted on goals from
Shayna Delaney (17:07) and
Madi Brunk (15:42).
With a 5-1 lead, the Falcons continued to pour it on offensively.
Brooke Gamble (2) and Keeney (1) combined to win three straight draw controls, keeping possession in Messiah's favor, while Delaney (1) and
Jenna Stover (2) added three more goals.
Albright's Amanda Smith broke the Lions' offensive silence with 12:23 left in the half, but a yellow card to Giuliana Rizzotti proved to be costly when Gamble found Keeney just seven seconds later for the numbers-up score.
In their next possessions, the teams swapped draw control wins that led to respective goals, yet the Falcons went on to score three consecutive goals in just 1:30 to pull ahead by 10 (13-3) with 8:44 left in the half.
The Lions attempted to mount a comeback, scoring two goals in just 18 seconds (6:49 and 6:31), but their efforts weren't enough. The Falcons matched Albright's offensive push late in the half, adding goals from Brunk (2:50) and Keeney (2:15) – just 35 seconds apart - before the intermission.
In the second half the Falcons pulled ahead by 12 after goals by Brunk (27:35) and Keeney (24:53), but their possessions became somewhat sloppy as they committing five turnovers in as many minutes. Albright took advantage by tacking on four unanswered goals, pulling within eight.
Fortunately for the Falcons, they settled down and regained their composure. Stikeleather helped the cause with 2:04 left to play, taking a feed from Gamble for her 14th goal of the season. Albright responded by winning the ensuing draw control and racing down the field for their final goal of the game, bringing the score to 18-10 in the Falcons' favor.
Offensively, this was one of the Falcons' most prolific games of the season as they matched their season-high in goals scored (18); a standard they set on February 22nd against Elizabethtown College. Numerous Falcons also had banner games with season-high goals – Brunk (6) - and season-high assists – Gamble (6), Keeney (4), and Stikeleather (4).
Sarah Dolan (5-6) was solid between the pipes as she faced 27 shots and made 10 saves.
Keeney's six goals moves her into second all-time in the record books with 205 goals (42 so far this season). She is just 30 goals behind Rachel Dirksen (2009-2012) who tops the leaderboard with 235 career goals. With five regular season games left on the 2014 schedule, Keeney needs to surpass her average of 54 goals a season in order to overtake Dirksen.
Albright was led by Erin Farrell (3 goals), Guiliana Rizzotti (2 goals), and Amanda Smith (2 goals). The Lions' used both of their goalies with Hayley Joyce (0-2) getting the start. Joyce gave up 15 goals and made five saves, while Emily Hutson took over in the second half and allowed three goals against.
The Falcons return to action on Tuesday when the travel to Widener University for a 7:00 p.m. game.
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