Game Highlights
Full Postgame Press Conference

Salem, VA – No. 5 Messiah found a single moment of brilliance in overtime and it was all they needed to win a 1-0 game over No. 11 Chicago in the National Semifinal on Friday night. Erin Sollenberger touched through a hard serve from Brooke Firestone for the winner just three minutes into the overtime period, and the two of them were mobbed by their teammates in celebration of the thrilling victory.
 
With the decision Messiah will now prepare for their ninth appearance in the NCAA Division III Championship. The Falcons will take on No. 8 Washington-St. Louis, who defeated No. 23 Brandeis 2-1 in the other Semifinal. Game time on Saturday is set for 5:30 p.m.
 
Friday's battle with Chicago was played from 18 to 18, with each team attempting just four shots in the first-half, with just two shots each going on frame. The two saves collected by Sara Yunez both came in the first six minutes of the game, and she was largely untested until later in the second-half. Messiah's best chance at a goal probably came on a play that didn't even result in shot, as Marisa Weaver played Sollenberger behind the defense in the 10th; Sollenberger raced into the box but was beat by the sliding grab of keeper Katie Donovan.
 
The stalemate only intensified as the game wore on, though in the second-half Weaver found a few chances to attack into the left side of the box for a look at the goal. But whenever she found those opportunities, defender Mackenzie Peebles managed to push her angle to the side and Weaver's attempts were wide.
 
"(Peebles) runs really well, but we thought we could get a chance or two if Reese could get a half-step on her," Messiah head coach Scott Frey said of Weaver's chances in the later minutes. "She had a couple moments, but Chicago did a great job to push her out."
 
The Falcons' most dangerous moment in regulation came with just over a minute left when Kate Shults was found in the box on a diagonal run. She took the ball to the right corner of the goal box before firing, but Donovan knocked it down. Even still, the ball trickled toward the goal line before Peebles cleared it away.
 
In the end, the midfield battle and gritty defensive play from both teams set up an overtime session that lasted just three minutes—thanks, in large part, to a switch by Frey.
 
"At the start of overtime we made a slight adjustment," he said, referring to his addition of Julia Kyne as a second target up top with Weaver. "We're not sure if that made a difference or not, but we thought it might make (Chicago) have a little indecision for a moment.
 
"Maybe it did just that when Erin ran through one."
 
The game-ending play started from 40 yards out when Weaver sent a pass square to Firestone on the left side. The first-year forward pushed down the side, and she used a quick burst to get into the endline for a sharp serve across the box. With the Chicago defense marking both Kyne and Weaver on the strong side, Sollenberger raced in from the far side of the box to redirect the serve in sudden and surreal fashion.
 
"Brooke did such a great job coming in and changing the pace," Sollenberger said of the last play. "She made a great play and I just tried to be on the other end and reward her effort."
 
"In general, this was a really well-played game on both sides," Frey said of the match. "They were a very, very good team, and we had to fight to hang with them. This group, they're gritty and they fight to give themselves a chance, and we did that tonight."
 
The goal for Sollenberger was her sixth of the season, with Firestone picking up her sixth assist. On the other side, the shutout was the 16th on the season.
 
"I trust my team, and tonight my defense was great," Yunez said of the Falcons' back line and defensive effort. "We love to compete, and that's what we did tonight. That's what is fun for us, to compete and go at it with everything we have."
 
As mentioned, the win moves Messiah into the National Final for the ninth time in program history, and they're also in search of their sixth National Championship. The game will also be a rematch of last year's National Semifinal when Washington earned a 1-1 (2OT PK) decision over Messiah.  
 
For Frey, the possibility of this year's group earning a title is not something worth overlooking in favor of the program's storied tradition.
 
"We have great young women in this program who are wiling to buy into our culture and our process," Frey said. "I keep saying about this group that we're not always pretty, but they fight to give themselves a chance. Last year we had a terrific team, but this year's group has had to come a long way to figure themselves out. But the beauty of soccer is that the game doesn't always go to the best team, it sometimes goes to the team willing to fight the longest.

"And this team has been willing to fight the longest."