Grantham, PA – No. 8 Messiah College women's soccer is set to enter the postseason this week when they host No. 4-seeded Lebanon Valley College in the MAC Commonwealth Semifinal on Wednesday night at 7:00 p.m.
See below for a quick preview of the MAC Commonwealth Tournament.
Season Snapshot
The Falcons wrapped up the regular-season on Saturday with a 1-0 win at Arcadia University. That pushed their record to 15-2 overall with a perfect 8-0 mark in conference play. They allowed just a single goal to a conference opponent (2-1 win at Stevenson) and they've collected nine shutouts in their past 10 games. Messiah's two losses came earlier in the year to No. 1 William Smith (2-0 loss) and No. 9 Stevens (2-1).
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| Scouting the Falcons |
| No. 1 Messiah Falcons - 15-2-0 Overall, 8-0 MAC Commonwealth |
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Messiah College recovered from an even 2-2 start to win 13-straight games, and they'll look to build their streak this week. Marisa Weaver (20g, 7a) leads six double-digit scorers and is the unquestioned No. 1 target for opposing defenses. Sunny Gelnovatch (8g, 6a) has put together a stellar first-year campaign while Olivia Snare (4g, 7a), Megan Mansfield (5g, 4a), Erin Sollenberger (3g, 4a), and Julia Kyne (4g, 2a) have each shown the ability to put one through. Ellie Lengacher has tallied four goals herself, giving Messiah four first-year players with at least four tallies.
DJ Cole has provided energetic, two-way leadership in the midfield alongside Missy Biener, while the Falcons' back row of Kayla Deckert, Summerly Merson, Skylar Ulry, and Sarah Strachan is both experienced and stingy; since giving up five goals in the first four goals of the season, Messiah has allowed just two tallies to opponents in the last 13 matches. Goalkeeper Sara Yunez carries a .800 save percentage against a 0.33 goals against average.
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| Scouting the Field |
| No. 2 Arcadia Knights - 16-2 Overall, 6-2 MAC Commonwealth |
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The Knights have lost just two games this season-- one to Stevenson by a score of 3-2 and the other to Messiah by the score of 1-0. Both of those losses came in the last four games of the regular-season, though that means little now that the postseason has arrived. Arcadia is led up front by Kayla Haberbosch (18g, 6a) and Lennon Kramer (11g, 2a), and three others have scored at least five goals. The Knights are attempting 18.8 shots per game, and their defense is holding opponents to just 7.8 shots. They've also allowed just 14 goals all season, and goalkeepers Taelor Rivera and Evelyn Feigeles have combined to help the team to a 0.78 goals against average.
When They Met: Messiah and Arcadia played the regular-season finale on Saturday, and a free kick goal from Missy Biener in third minute was the difference in a 1-0 game. The Knights outshot the Falcons 9-1 in the second-half, and Messiah finished with just a 11-10 edge in shots overall. As has been the case between these two teams in recent history, the game was end-to-end and physical. A match-up of these two in the conference title game would be a rematch of last year's 1-0 win for the Falcons.
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| No. 3 Stevenson Mustangs - 8-6-2 Overall, 5-2-1 MAC Commonwealth |
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The Mustangs will travel to Arcadia for a semifinal match with the Knights, and they'll be trying to duplicate their win (3-2) over Arcadia from during the regular-season. Stevenson lost two of their final four games in the conference, but they still managed to secure the No. 3 seed thanks to a scoreless draw with No. 5 Albright. The Mustangs have scored just 29 goals this season, but their direct approach keeps the attention of opposing defenses. Alexis Siejack (6g, 3a) and Brianna Christie (4g) lead the way offensively, and junior keeper TIffany McKee holds a 1.33 goals against average across every minute played of the season thus far.
When They Met: The Falcons went on the road this year and grabbed a 2-1 win from the Mustangs. Marisa Weaver tallied early off a full-field pass from Sara Yunez, but Stevenson tied the game in the 60th minute thanks to a fortuitous bounce that went outside the reach of Yunez in the box. The Falcons were rescued from a possible overtime affair when Weaver tallied her second goal of the night in the 80th minute, a volley goal off a loose ball in the box.
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| No. 4 Lebanon Valley Dutchmen - 12-5 Overall, 5-3 MAC Commonwealth |
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No. 4-seeded Lebanon valley defeated No. 5 Albright by a 1-0 score in Monday's quaterfinal, and they'll now travel to Messiah to take on the Falcons on Wednesday night. The Dutchmen goal against Albright came in the 63rd minute off the foot of Meghan Ross.
The Dutchmen finished the regular-season with three-straight conference wins, with victories coming over both Stevenson and Albright. The strong finish helped them overcome a three-game losing streak in the middle of their season, including a loss to Messiah. Sammy Bost (19g, 3a) is once again leading the Lebanon Valley, with Ross adding nine goals and two helpers. The Dutchmen have scored just 46 goals this season, and they've also allowed 26, though Taylor Reinhold holds a respective .709 save percentage against a 1.44 goals against average.
When They Met: The Falcons and Dutchmen opened conference play way back on Oct. 1, and Messiah scored twice in each half to get a 4-0 win. Marisa Weaver notched the game-winner and hat-trick on the afternoon, and Erin Sollenberger also scored. Messiah outshot their hosts 22-5, with just two of Lebanon Valley's shots going on frame. |
Conference Championship History
Last season the Falcons won a 1-0 game over Arcadia University to clinch their 14th MAC Commonwealth Championship in the past 16 seasons.
