Williamstown, MA – No. 6 Messiah College scored three goals in the second-half to break a stalemate and win 3-0 over Middlebury College in the NCAA Sectional Semifinal on Saturday. Olivia Snare, Marisa Weaver, and Kate Shults all tallied for the Falcons as Messiah and Middlebury spent the majority of the afternoon battling in the midfield.

The win for Messiah moved them into the Sectional Final tomorrow afternoon where they will face host, defending National Champion, and No. 3-ranked Williams College.
 
"I thought this was one of the best games we've played all season," Messiah head coach Scott Frey said. "We were pressing on their defense well, and we were stepping on them defensively. I thought we were great, and Missy Biener and DJ Cole were terrific in the midfield, covering ground and forcing (Middlebury) to have to play to our pace."
 
Saturday's game was truly a battle of wills as the Falcons' possession-oriented attack fought hard to get through Middlebury's 4-4-2. The wind, which was at the Falcons' back for the first 45 minutes, helped Messiah collect eight shots in the first-half, though they weren't able to capitalize.

But that doesn't mean Messiah was without chances. The undoubted best chance of the game came less than two minutes into play when a Panther defender inadvertently used her hand to knock down a shot by Marisa Weaver. The whistle gave Messiah a penalty kick opportunity, but Weaver's ensuing shot banged off the crossbar and kept the game scoreless.
 
The miss was significant at the time, but ultimately it did not come back to haunt the Falcons. Less than three minutes into the second half the Falcons broke through off a corner serve from Olivia Snare. Keeper Ursula Alwang caught the ball in the air, but the line judge correctly ruled that she caught the ball over the goal line, and Messiah went up 1-0.
 
Less than 10 minutes later DJ Cole played Weaver behind the defense and she ran onto possession for a one-on-one chance with Alwang. With the Panther centerback in hot pursuit, Weaver tucked a shot past Alwang for a 2-0 lead.
 
That tally put Messiah in firm control, and they all-but-sealed the game in the 64th minute when Skylar Ulry served a cross from the right wing to the far side of the box. Kate Shults ran on for the header and a 3-0 lead.
 
"That was a terrific play, as good as it can be," Frey said of Messiah's third goal. "That was about as good a play as we've had all year."
 
In the end Messiah outshot Middlebury 13-3, with Messiah putting five of those attempts on frame. Middlebury put just a single shot on goal.
 
"Our back row was really good," Frey said, mentioning the stellar play of Kayla Deckert and Summerly Merson. "We didn't give anything up."
 
As mentioned, Messiah will now play Williams with a chance to go to the Final Four. It will be the first time the two have met in the NCAA Tournament.