Geneva, NY - After 110 minutes of competition on Saturday, No. 3 Messiah and No. 10 William Smith were forced to settle for a 1-1 draw. The Falcons tallied an early goal but the Herons collected a second-half equalizer in a classic match between perennial powerhouses for Division III soccer. Marisa Weaver scored for Messiah, who saw their record move to 3-0-1.

Weaver tallied in just the fifth minute of action when she sent a free kick from the left corner of the 18 inside the topside of the near post. It was her third goal this season and the team's 14th tally in just 275 minutes of play. Unfortunately, it was the only one the Falcons put through.
 
The Falcons held territory for long stretches of play throughout the game, especially in the first-half. They also collected five corners before the intermission, but at the intermission they had just five shots.
 
At the start of the second-half William Smith earned back some possession, and they found the opportunity they were looking for in the 60th minute. Evie Manning made the big play with a cross on the ground from the left side, and Sarah Olick-Sutphen found herself free at the six to touch it through. It was Sutphen's first goal of the season, but it was all the Herons (1-1-1) needed to avoid a second defeat in their first three games.
 
Messiah nearly regained the lead in the 64th minute when Elsaesser picked off a pass in the Herons' backfield, but her shot across the turf was grabbed by keeper Kaileen Murray before it crossed the goal line.
 
In the first overtime Messiah had the better of play and even collected seven shots. They even had a golden opportunity to get a winner when Macaulay Soto found herself open enough for a quick shot at the six with just five seconds to play; however, her offering went just over the crossbar and the game went to double overtime.
 
In the final 10 minutes Messiah collected just one more shot, and the game finished 1-1.

Audra Larson made three saves for the Falcons, while Murray made eight of her own for the hosts.
 
"The last part of the game, those last twenty minutes, that was the best twenty minutes we've played all season," Messiah head coach Scott Frey said. "(William Smith) doesn't give up defensively, and they work hard to converge when you get it. They don't give up many goals.
 
"But I was really pleased with how we played. It was a great game, and that's what we came up here for."
 
The tie was the third in five years between the two rivals, and Messiah's all-time record with William Smith is now 4-1-3.
 
Messiah will now move on to play the second of five-straight road games, this one at Mary Washington on Wednesday, Sept. 16.