GRANTHAM, Pa. – No. 1 Messiah field hockey used a dominant first-half and a suffocating defensive effort to win 6-1 over visiting Gettysburg on Wednesday night. Carissa Gehman and Emily Rubright each scored twice for the Falcons and Messiah attempted a season-high 43 shots.
 
Messiah moved to 10-0 with the win and Gettysburg fell to an even 5-5.
 
Full Arsenal
The Falcons' well-rounded and imposing capabilities were on display from the start as they both scored twice and did not allow a shot in the first 14 minutes of play. Carissa Gehman's goal in the seventh minute gave the Falcons a 1-0 lead, and Taylor Holt put through a rebound in the 10' to make it 2-0.
 
Meanwhile, Gettysburg did not get off a shot until the 15' and it was their only attempt of the half.
 
Create Some Fortune
The Falcons' third goal came midway through the first-half, and once again it was Gehman putting it through. This time, however, she took a centering pass from Kristin Donohue and redirected it with her back to the cage for the impressive score.
 
The fortuitous touch may have been bested when, just before half and with a 4-0 lead, Hannah Palm put the Falcons up by five goals with a slight deflection on a centering pass from Gehman. The touch put the ball past goalie Haley Mowery, and it trickled toward the left post where the Gettysburg defender could not corral the choppy bounce.
 
When the horn blew for the halftime break Messiah led 5-0 with a 27-1 edge in shots.
 
In the Box
Messiah collected a 16-1 edge in shots in the second-half, though Gettysburg's one attempt beat keeper Megan Bomba in the 61' to make it 5-1. Nevertheless, the Falcons earned back their five-goal spread off Emily Rubright's second goal with less than four minutes to play.
 
In addition to outshooting the Bullets 43-2, Messiah collected a 14-0 advantage in corners. The constant attack kept Gettysburg keeper Mowery busy all night, and she impressed with 18 saves, many of which were under strong pressure.
 
Gehman's two goals increased her team lead to 14 on the season, and it also moved into sole place for second all-time in Messiah history. She now has 87 career goals, two ahead of Jennifer Terranova '86 (85) and still behind current assistant coach Danae (Chambers) Hollenbach '04 (111).
 
Up Next
Messiah next plays this Saturday when they travel to Stevenson University for a MAC Commonwealth match. Game time is set for 7:00 p.m.