Grantham, PA - The Messiah College field hockey team will enter the MAC Commonwealth Tournament this Wednesday when they take on No. 4-seeded Lebanon Valley on Anderson Field at 7:00 p.m. The Falcons finished atop the regular season conference standings with a perfect 7-0 record to nab the No. 1 seed.
See below for a preview of the MAC Commonwealth field:
Season Snapshot
The Falcons are ranked No. 1 in the country heading in to the MAC Commonwealth tournament, thanks to playing one of the toughest schedules in Division III, and coming out victorious in every Division III contest. Messiah is 15-1 on the season and has played six teams ranked in the top-20 in Division III and one ranked in the top-2 of Division II. The Falcons are 6-1 in those games, with the only loss coming to Division II No. 2 Shippensburg by a score of 1-0 in overtime in the season opener. Their notable victories include 4-1 over No. 7 Ursinus, 3-2 over No. 2 Salisbury, 4-2 over No. 6 TCNJ, and 3-2 over No. 8 Franklin & Marshall.
Messiah cruised through the MAC Commonwealth regular season, winning all seven of their games by at least a three-goal margin, and four by a margin of at least five.
Entering the MAC Commonwealth Tournament, the Falcons have won 15-straight games.
.
| Scouting the Falcons |
| No. 1 Messiah Falcons - 16-1 Overall, 7-0 MAC Commonwealth |
 |
A very potent offensive attack and stellar defensive play has led the Falcons this season. Junior forward Carissa Gehman leads the team in goals with 21, checking in at No. 1 in the conference and tied for No. 8 in all of Division III. Moriah Pfautz (15) and Taylor Holt (12) also crack the top 10 in the Commonwealth, at No. 3 and No. 7, respectively. Nicole Wilkerson has 13 assists, slotting her at No. 3 in the conference and No. 6 nationally. As a team, Messiah leads the nation in scoring average (4.79) and scoring margin (4.11).
Sara Brooks, Shayna Landis, and Hannah Roland anchor a strong backline that only allowed one goal in conference play and recorded nine shutouts on the year. Sophomore Shelby Landes (.776 save percentage, 38 saves, 0.73 GAA) protects the cage for the Falcons. Landes has started all 17 games for Messiah this season.
 |
| Scouting the Field |
| No. 2 Alvernia Crusaders - 18-1 Overall, 6-1 MAC Commonwealth |
 |
The Crusaders earned the No. 2 seed and home field advantage for the first round of the MAC Commonwealth Tournament after winning all of their regular season games except the matchup against Messiah. Alvernia is currently ranked No. 17 in the NFHCAÂ poll.
Alvernia's offense has been nearly as potent as Messiah's this season, as they have the national leader in assists-per-game in Margaret Wentzel (1.11), who is also sixth in points-per-game (3.11). They also have three players in the top 10 of the Commonwealth in goals scored, with Wentzel at No. 2 with 18, Andrea Wysocki at No. 4 with 15, and Alexis Krall at No. 6 with 13.
Keeper Rebecca Brosius has had a fantastic year in goal, finishing the regular season second in the Commonwealth in goals-against-average (1.153) and save percentage (.806).
When they met
The Falcons defeated the Crusaders 3-0 on Oct. 22 in Reading. It was the lowest scoring total Messiah had in conference games, which did not come as a complete surprise due to Alvernia being undefeated before the game and No. 16 in the country. The Falcons came out strong, scoring in just the eighth minute when Carissa Gehman knocked one into the cage. The Crusader defense managed to hold the Falcons down for the next 55 minutes, until Messiah broke through with two goals in two minutes off the sticks of Taylor Holt and Moriah Pfautz. That 3-0 score held for the remainder of the game, as the defense held Alvernia to just five shots.
 |
| No. 3 Arcadia Knights - 6-13 Overall, 4-3 MAC Commonwealth |
 |
The Knights got off to a rough start to the regular season, losing their first eight games, but turned it around late to go 4-3 in conference and win the tiebreaker with Lebanon Valley for the No. 3 seed after defeating them head-to-head by a score of 7-3 on Oct. 19.
Arcadia is led offensively by senior Allie Hines, who scored 10 goals and assisted on four during the season for 24 points. Sydney Cyr has a .500 assists-per-game average, placing her at fifth in the conference. After taking over goalkeeping duties about two-thirds of the way into the season, first-year player Anne Becker has enjoyed relative success in goal, going 5-2 with a .690 save percentage and a 2.50 goals-against-average.
When they met
The Falcons and Knights met on Oct. 15 in Messiah's homecoming game. Messiah gave the large home crowd quite a show, routing Arcadia by a 9-0 score. Six different Falcons scored in the contest, including a hat trick for Carissa Gehman and two goals from Kezia Loht. Messiah held Arcadia without a shot and rattled off 31 of their own, with 16 going on goal.
 |
| No. 4 Lebanon Valley Dutchmen - 11-6 Overall, 4-3 MAC Commonwealth |
 |
The Dutchmen enjoyed a solid season, only falling in conference to the three teams seeded above them.Â
LVC's offensive attack is fourth in the conference with a 2.294 scoring average and a 0.35 scoring margin. The Dutchmen have two players tied for the team lead with 21 points: Megan Arnst (10 goals, one assist) and Maddie Fox (7 goals, 7 assists). Goalkeeper Sarah DiMaggio checks in at fourth in the Commonwealth with a 2.017 goals-against-average, to go with 59 saves and a .686 save percentage.
When they met
On Oct. 8, Messiah traveled to Annville to take on Lebanon Valley and came away with a 4-0 win. Moriah Pfautz notched a hat trick and Carissa Gehman added another score in the victory. Messiah outshot LVC 23-4, and gained 10 corners to the Dutchmen 3. LVC's defense fought hard with 11 saves from the two keepers they played, as well as recording three defensive saves in the contest.
 |
Conference Championship History
Last year the Falcons won the MAC Commonwealth tournament as the No. 1 seed. This year marks Messiah's 28th appearance in the MAC or MAC Commonwealth Tournament since joining the conference in 1984. Since joining the conference, Messiah has won 22 titles. Additionally, Messiah has won the conference title in 14 of the last 15 years including nine-straight championships dating back to 2007.
