Reading, PA - Brooke Firestone, Ellie Lengacher, and Megan Mansfield each tallied their first career goal to help No. 3 Messiah College to a season-opening 3-0 win at PSU-Berks. The goals highlighted a strong showing by the Falcons' newcomers as four different first-year players collected either a goal or an assist. As a team, Messiah also outshot their hosts 22-2.

The two teams played a straight-up game from start to finish, with the Nittany Lions doing their part to try and create chances. The open field allowed the Falcons to create a few opportunities early, but they weren't able to get past keeper Paige Elmy; the Lions goalie collected six first-half saves to keep it a 0-0 game. Messiah's best chance at an early goal came in the 25th minute when Marisa Weaver got around her defender for a clear look at the goal. But she pushed her shot wide and the game remained scoreless.
 
As the first-half wore on the battle was mainly in the midfield, and it wasn't until after the intermission that Messiah played with more aggression toward the box. It wasn't long before that paid off, as Sunny Gelnovatch set-up Firestone with a hard pass through the midfield. Firestone took possession on the 18-yard line and with her back to the goal, and she turned quickly to fire a shot inside the left post. The goal came at the end of the 52nd minute.
 
Messiah picked up five more shots in the next 20 minutes, and the last of those went through off the foot of Lengacher. Megan Mansfield set her up on a flick after possession was crossed in from the wing by Courtney Wagner. Elmy stepped off her line to knock away Mansfield's touch, but Lengacher got to it first to punch it in. Like Firestone before her, it was Lengacher's first career goal and it doubled the Falcons' lead to 2-0.
 
Less than six minutes later Mansfield tallied her first goal to make it 3-0. Weaver collected the first of two assists on the play with a cross from the endline, with Kate Shults' touch moving the ball to the left side of the goal. Mansfield poked it over the goal line to finish the scoring.
 
Along with their 22-2 edge in shots the Falcons finished with a 15-1 advantage in shots on frame and 7-0 advantage in corners. Elmy picked up another six saves in the final period to finish with 12 on the night. Sara Yunez picked up one save for Messiah.
 
The Falcons will next play on Saturday when they travel to take on Stevens Institute of Technology. Game time is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.