Grantham, PA - No. 1 Messiah College field hockey received two goals from Carissa Gehman and tallied three more times to defeat the Keene State College Owls 5-0 in the Second Round of the 2016 NCAA Tournament on Saturday. The Falcons will play the winner of Middlebury and Rochester in the Third Round tomorrow afternoon at 1:00 p.m. with a chance to advance to the NCAA Final Four on the line.
 
Messiah outshot 35-2 (18-1 on goal) in the game and gained 19 penalty corners to the Owls' one. Gwendolyn Thayer recorded 13 saves in goal for Keene State, while Shelby Landes saved the only shot that came her way, coming off a penalty stroke in the second-half.
 
Messiah advances past the NCAA for the third-straight year and 15th time out of the last 16 years. The Falcons continue their Division III unbeaten streak, running it to 19 with today's victory.
 
The Falcons looked to get on the board early, putting pressure on Thayer right from the opening hit. In the fifth minute, Nicole Wilkerson received a pass on the right side and carried the ball into the circle. She sent a hard ball in towards goal that snuck through multiple Owl defenders and found the back of the cage for the early 1-0 lead.
 
Messiah had another great chance to score in the 18th minute, as Wilkerson sent the ball in to Taylor Holt in front of the cage. Holt collected, spun to her left around her defender, and sent a shot that rolled just inches wide right of goal. Keene State also had a good scoring opportunity four minutes later, as Erica Stauffer had an open shot from the left side that she tried to sneak in past the right post, but sailed just wide.
 
It did not take very long for the Falcons to get another chance to get on the board, as in the 25th minute they gained one of their 13 penalty corners. Holt sent the ball in to Kristin Donohue at the top of the circle for the stick stop. Gehman wasted no time and ripped a shot that appeared to be heading wide left of the goal, but Kezia Loht had other plans, reaching her stick out and redirecting the ball into the cage for the score.
 
Just five minutes later, Messiah received another penalty corner. It was Holt on the take once again, sending to Donohue on the right side for the centering pass to Kaylor Rosenberry. Rosenberry launced a shot on goal that was saved by Thayer, but fell to Gehman, who took the ball to her right and blasted a screamer that hit the back of the cage with a resounding thud.
 
The Falcons took a 3-0 lead into the break, outshooting the Owls 20-1 (10-0 on goal) in the period. Messiah gained 11 penalty corners, converting for goals on two.
 
The second-half began much like the first, as just five minutes in Wilkerson again took a shot from the top of the circle. This time, Thayer was able to get a glove on it for the save. However, Holt was in the right place at the right time, catching the deflection out of midair and knocking it into the cage to give the Falcons a 4-0 lead.
 
Messiah added a fifth score in the 43rd minute, coming off another penalty corner. Holt send the ball to Wilkerson for the stick stop, which Gehman blasted from the top of the circle into the goal.
 
Keene State very nearly got on the board at the 19:10 mark, when Messiah committed a foul in the circle and granted the Owls a penalty stroke. Casi Smith took the stroke for Keene State and tried to place it in the top right corner, but Landes was all over it, knocking the ball away with her left glove to preserve the clean slate.
 
Keene State would not register another shot, and the Falcons came out victorious, 5-0.
 
Carissa Gehman led the Falcon offense with two goals on eight shots, as well as adding an assist for a five-point game. Kezia Loht and Taylor Holt each chipped in one goal on five assists, with Holt also recording an assist.