Grantham, PA - No. 6 Messiah College used two first-half goals to defeat Lebanon Valley College 2-0 on Wednesday night to secure their spot in the MAC Commonwealth Championship on Saturday. The Falcons got on the board in the seventh minute on an own goal, and Erin Sollenberger scored in the 31st minute.

The win pushed the Falcons' record to 16-2 on the year. With the loss, the Dutchmen fall to 12-6-2.

In the seventh minute, Olivia Snare possessed the ball outside the box on the left side of the field. She turned to the middle and sent a cross that was misplayed by a Dutchmen defender in the center of the box. Unfortunately for the Dutchmen, the ball bounced towards the left side of the net and inside the left post for the goal and give the Falcons an early advantage.

After taking the lead, the Falcons offense continued to attack and test the Dutchmen back line. Messiah continued to possess the ball deep in Lebanon Valley, which led to the Falcons earning seven corners in the first 23 minutes of  play. The best chance came in that 23rd minute, when Marisa Weaver's corner bounced around and eventually landed at the feet of DJ Cole at the top of the box. She turned and ripped a shot toward the left corner of the goal, but Taylor Reinhold was able to reach up and make the save.

Eight minutes later, Brooke Firestone took the ball down the right side and into the box. She played a cross from the end line into the middle, but the cross got sent back by the Dutchmen. However, the clear attempt went to Sollenberger. She took one touch and bent a beautiful shot inside the far post to put the Falcons ahead by two.

The lead carried into the second-half where Messiah almost tallied again just 45 seconds in. Weaver received the ball just outside the box, and spun to the left. She took two touches to her left and ripped a shot to the near post, but Reinhold made a terrific save to keep the Falcons at two goals.

Messiah continued to attack, but could not generate a lot of offense for the remainder of the game. The best chance came in the 65th minute, when the Falcons earned a penalty kick after Reinhold was called for foul near the endline on Megan Mansfield; the first-year forward was attacking the right sideline and got inside the box when he was taken down. The referee blew his whistle and granted the Falcons with a penalty kick, but Marisa Weaver's hard strike was saved on a brilliant dive by Reinhold.

Nevertheless, the Falcon defense was able to hold strong throughout the contest. Lebanon Valley offense really pressed Messiah's back line the final 10 minutes, but the team held strong. All told, the defensive unit limited the Dutchmen to just two shots on the night.

As mentioned, the win pushed Messiah into the MAC Commonwealth Championship on Saturday evening. The Falcons will host No. 2-seed Arcadia.