Grantham, PA - Farmingdale State did all they could to slay Goliath on Saturday, but a draw was just as good as they kept No. 1 Messiah scoreless in 0-0 finish on Shoemaker Field. The Falcons outshot the Rams 24-5 but could not break through a packed-in backfield for the visitors.
Messiah moved to 10-0-2 with the decision. Farmingdale State moved to 5-5-2.
The Falcons held territory for most the game, but the Rams proved athletic enough to put together counters that forced Messiah to constantly restart their attack. The Rams also put together a scrappy and hard-fought effort in the midfield to unsettle possession.
One of Messiah's few dangerous chances came with just 13 seconds to play in the final overtime; Messiah executed a set piece from 20 yards out centerfield but
Marisa Weaver's strike did not get through traffic and was cleared away as the final horn sounded.
Messiah had a few set pieces from within 25 yards throughout the game, but like all their other attempts, the crowded box proved difficult to crack. The Rams did a great job getting below the Falcons on nearly every attempt, oftentimes putting five or six players in the box even when the Falcons were still approaching into their attacking third. In the end, Messiah's shot total (24) was mostly misleading considering that only a handful of attempts really tested Rams keeper Karla Gomes. Even still, Gomes came up with a few nice plays including a great tip save over the crossbar in the 50th minute on a hard strike from
Nikki Elsaesser. The save set up one of four corners the Falcons had in the first seven minutes of the second-half, but even those plays did not get them on the board.
Both
Holly Burgard and
Kayla Deckerts managed to get good looks at the frame in the final minute of regulation, but Gomes was there each time to collect possession. Messiah outshot the Rams 5-0 in the overtime sessions, but by then Farmingdale was entirely committed to earning the draw.
Elsaesser managed just the single shot for Messiah as Farmingdale kept two defenders on her hip throughout the game.
Marisa Weaver tallied four shots for the Falcons to lead the effort.
Audra Larson collected two saves in the net for Messiah to earn her sixth shutout of the season.
The draw also represented Messiah's final non-conference game of the regular-season. They will now play six-straight games in the MAC Commonwealth starting with Lycoming College on Tuesday, Oct. 13.
