Grantham, PA – Messiah College women's lacrosse will enter the NCAA postseason this Sunday when they travel to Catholic University of America for a Second Round contest against the Cardinals at 1:00 p.m. The winner will advance to next weekend's Third Round at a site and time to be determined.
Follow the action this weekend with
live stats and
live video of Sunday's tilt.
See below for a preview of the match-up between the Falcons and Cardinals.
| No. 17 Messiah College Falcons |
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Location: Grantham, PA
Head Coach: Heather Greer (9th season, 120-46 career record)
2016 Record: 14-5, 8-0 MAC Commonwealth
NCAA Tournament Appearances: 6th appearance (3-5 all-time tournament record)
Last NCAA Appearance: 2015 Second Round, lost to Tufts 14-7
2016 NCAA First Round: Bye |
How They Got Here:
Messiah enters the tournament as the Automatic Qualifier from the MAC Commonwealth. The Falcons rolled through the conference for the second-straight season going 8-0 during the regular season and picking up wins of 15-4 (over Albright) and 13-3 (over Stevenson) to claim their second-straight MAC Commonwealth title and fifth conference title in program history.
The Falcons have won 10 of their last 11 games, nine of those wins have come by double-digits. Their lone loss since the beginning of April came on the road against No. 6 Franklin & Marshall Diplomats.
Team Outlook:
The Falcons enter the NCAA tournament with an extremely balanced attack. While many teams rely on two or three players to generate the vast majority of their team's offense, Messiah's approach this season has been more well-rounded. The Falcons have six players that have connected for 20-plus goals with only Courtney Wagner topping 40 goals on the season (exactly 40 goals).
The balanced offensive attack has the Falcons ranking 25th in the country with 14.11 goals per game.
The Falcons also feature a top-25 defense that is led by Brooke Gamble, Emma Hawthorne, and Kathryn Milwicz. The Falcons allow just 6.74 goals per game, good for the 20th best rate in the country. Messiah's Alexa Dipeso anchors the defense in cage with a 50.8 save percentage and a 7.10 goals against average.
Players to Watch:
Courtney Wagner was named the MAC Commonwealth Rookie of the Year for her play in the conference. The freshman leads the team in goals scored with 40 and also has double-digit assists with 11 on the season. She has nine games this season with three or more goals including a season-high five tallies against Alvernia on Apr. 26.
Jenna Stover has found her niche in the Falcons' offense as of late. The junior has tallied 25 of her 30 goals in the team's last 11 games. She has also assisted on 19 goals during that same stretch for a total of 34 points in the 11 game stretch (3.09 points per game).
Shayna Delaney has racked up the third-most goals on the team with 38 tallies on the season. She also has eight helpers for 46 total points. Despite playing in just 15 games this season, Stephanie Athens has also scored 36 goals and assisted on 14 others. She is averaging 3.33 points per game played, the highest on the team.
As mentioned, Alexa Dipeso has been very solid for the Falcons in goal. She holds down the Falcons' defense with a 7.10 goals against average (21st in Division III) and a 50.8 save percentage (31st in Division III).
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| Catholic University of America Cardinals |
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Location: Washington, DC
Head Coach: Meghan McDonogh (10th season, 136-58 career record)
2016 Record: 11-7, 6-0 Landmark Conference
NCAA Tournament Appearance: 8th appearance (10-7 all-time tournament record)
Last NCAA Appearance: 2015 Regionals Finals, lost to SUNY Cortland 13-12
2016 NCAA First Round: Bye |
How They Got Here:
The Catholic Cardinals last appeared in the NCAA tournament a year ago, falling to the eventual NCAA National Champion, SUNY Cortland, 13-12 in the Regional Finals. This year, they arrive in the Tournament by virtue of the Automatic Qualifier from the Landmark Conference. Catholic won their eighth Landmark title in the last nine years with a 19-12 victory over Scranton in the championship. The Cardinals were a perfect 6-0 in the Landmark over the regular season, their third-straight perfect regular season.
The Cardinals enter the tournament on a six-game winning streak that dates back to Apr. 13. Since the start of April, Catholic is 8-1 with the lone loss coming against No. 13 York, 9-8. Catholic has played six teams that are currently ranked in the top-20. In those games the Cardinals are 1-5 with a victory over No. 16 Mary Washington (9-7).
Team Outlook:
The Cardinals rely extremely heavily on a stellar junior class, particularly on the offensive end. Of the top eight scorers for Catholic, seven are juniors. As a whole, the junior class accounts for 183 of the team's 263 goals on the year (69.6%), 104 of the team's 120 assists (86.7%), and 287 of the team's 383 total points (75.0%).
The junior class has helped Catholic's attack play as one of the best in the nation. In Division III the Cardinals rank 15th in scoring offense, currently averaging 14.61 goals per contest. Their defense, while not terrible, is not as highly rated as their offense. Catholic's defense allows 9.72 goals per game, tied for 105th in the country.
Players to Watch:
As mentioned, most of the players to keep an eye on for the Cardinals will be juniors, particularly offensively. Juniors Laura Dunn (38g, 29a) and Alexis Bosilovic (42g, 10a) have combined for 80 goals and nearly 120 total points. Add Catholic's leading goal scorer, sophomore Nicolette Crisalli (55g, 6a), to the mix and the Cardinals have three 50-plus point scorers to lead their offense.
Bosilovic was named the Player of the Year in the Landmark Conference for her strong play in the midfield. Six other Cardinals also picked up All-Conference honors.
Allie Bond is another player to watch. While not the scoring threat that others may be, Bond is particularly strong at gaining possession through draw controls. The junior has brought in 148 draw controls this season placing her fifth in Division III in draw controls per game at 8.22. |
All-Time History Between Messiah and Catholic:
Messiah and Catholic have squared off two times in their history including a match-up in the NCAA tournament in 2009. Messiah has come up on the short end of both of their previous contests falling in overtime in both games. Catholic defeated the Falcons 9-8 (OT) in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament in 2009 and then 20-18 (OT) in a regular season game during the 2012 season.
