Grantham, PA - No. 14 Messiah College got hat-tricks from both Carissa Gehman and Moriah Pfautz to win 6-0 over Stevenson University and win the MAC Commonwealth Championships. The Falcons scored five of their goals in the first-half to win the title for a ninth consecutive season.
 
Pfautz was named the Tournament's Most Outstanding Player after finishing with five goals across the Falcons' two wins.
 
The Falcons controlled the game from the opening touch. Messiah struck in the ninth minute with a goal by Carissa Gehman off a penalty corner. Taylor Holt inserted the ball to Kristin Donohue at the top of the circle who stick stopped it for Gehman. Gehman hammered it home to give Messiah a 1-0 lead.
 
For the next five minutes the Mustangs had the run of play and their best scoring opportunities of the game, earning four penalty corners in the stretch. However the Mustangs could not convert any of these opportunities and in the 14th minute, against the run of play, the Falcons would double their lead. Taylor Holt carried the ball down the left sideline and cut through two defenders and chipped the ball over the stick of a defender to Moriah Pfautz. Pfautz took a one-time shot that beat the goalie to the right post.
 
Just over a minute later, Gehman would strike again. From the midfield, Nicole Wilkerson sent a long ball ahead to Gehman on the right side of the circle. Gehman carried the ball to the right before finding the back of the cage from the right side. In the 17th minute Gehman would complete her hat trick scoring a top shelf goal after a barrage of shots from the Falcons.
 
The Falcons would be held scoreless for the next 19 minutes, but would strike again on an untimed penalty corner at the end of the half. On a penalty corner, Karin Holvik had a shot blocked but it went right to Kezia Loht in front of the cage. Loht flicked over to Pfautz on the right side, who powered it home for her second goal of the game.
 
The Falcons ended the half with a 17-5 advantage in shots and more importantly a 5-0 lead on the scoreboard. The second-half began much like the first half ended, with constant pressure from Messiah. In the 41st minute on their second penalty corner of the half, Kristin Donohue found Pfautz on the left side of the circle. Pfautz took the one time shot and found the back of the cage completing her hat trick.
 
The six goals were enough as the Falcons went on to win their ninth straight MAC Commonwealth title in convincing fashion over the Mustangs by a 6-0 final. Messiah has now won 22 conference titles and 14 titles in the last 15 years.
 
Gehman and Pfautz each recorded hat tricks in the victory. Their hat tricks were the first hat tricks in a MAC Commonwealth Championship game since 2011 when Emily Hursh tallied three goals in a 7-1 victory. It was also the first time two different Falcons collected hat tricks in the same game since Oct. 16, 2012 when Emily Bower and Heather Quirk each scored three goals in a 10-0 win over Hood.
 
As mentioned Pfautz took home the Tournament's Most Outstanding Player honors for the second time in her career. She won the award in 2013 as well.
 
By winning the MAC Commonwealth title the Falcons have ensured a spot in the NCAA Tournament for the 15th-straight season (29 total appearances). They will find out on Sunday night who and where they will be playing in the first-round on the NCAA Tournament.
 
Stay tuned to GoMessiah.com for updates on the Falcons' playoff schedule.