Grantham, PA – Messiah College put together a complete and impressive performance in the MAC Commonwealth Championship on Saturday, winning 13-3 over Stevenson University. The conference title was the second in as many years for the Falcons, both of which have come over the Mustangs.
 
Stephanie Athens scored six goals and Jenna Stover tallied two goals and two assists to lead the attack, and Alexa Dipeso collected seven saves in the cage.
 
Athens was awarded the Tournament's Most Valuable Player award after tallying eight goals and an assist across Messiah's two postseason wins.
 
The Falcons' first goal came in the fourth minute when their ride forced a Stevenson turnover the midfield. Messiah collected possession and moved quickly to the cage, with Stover finding Athens for a powerful finish on the left side. That would be the only tally of the first 11 minutes, but in the 12th minute Stover made it 2-0 by way of a brilliant catch off a short feed from Allie Colson atop the crease. Stover's catch was above her head, and she fired quickly through the right side.
 
Though Messiah led by just the 2-0 margin for a long stretch, their stingy midfield and defensive play kept the Mustangs at bay. Dipeso made two terrific saves to keep them scoreless, but Olivia Monteiro finally put the Mustangs on the board in the 13th minute. But that would be all Stevenson would get in the first-half as Messiah created space and pulled away.
 
The third goal came at the 12:22 mark when Athens and Stover worked a handoff on the left side to set up Stover's one-on-one with goalie Maggie Lawder. Stover faked a shot and then fired over Lawder's shoulder for an electric tally. Athens then tallied three-straight goals of her own, the first coming off a feed from Annika Johnsen that left Athens on the right side for a shot under the crossbar. One goal later Athens made it 6-1 off a flip from Ida Ehrhardt that led her to the left side of the cage.
 
Messiah took that 6-1 lead into the half, and they also led Stevenson in nearly every other part of the game. Most notable were the Mustangs' going just 4-11 on clears while turning the ball over 13 times. They also managed just four shots on goal. Messiah, on the other hand, put 13 shots on goal while going 7-8 on clears and turning the ball over just seven times.
 
The halftime break did not slow down the Falcons as they scored four-straight to open the second period. Shayna Delaney tallied the first two of those goals, both of which came off assists as Delaney was cutting through defenders for the catches.
 
Monteiro put through Stevenson's second goal with 14:37 left on the clock, but any hopes for a streak of goals were dashed when Dipeso made a terrific save on a free-position shot a minute later.
 
Athens tallied two of the Falcons' final three goals to build the lead as Messiah went on to the lopsided win.
 
Kendra Herbenar (3) led four different Falcons with double-digit caused turnovers, evidence of the Falcons' swarming pressure and defense. The three goals allowed also set a program record for fewest allowed in a conference title game.
 
On the attack Delaney finished with two goals while Courtney Wagner scored a single-goal and dished out a game-high three assists.
 
As mentioned, the title win is the second-straight for Messiah. It is also the fifth championship in program history and fourth under head coach Heather Greer.
 
Now at 14-5 the Falcons, currently ranked No. 17 in the nation, will await their NCAA Tournament placement when the brackets are released on Sunday evening. Fans are encouraged to follow GoMessiah.com on Sunday for a link to the NCAA Selection Show.