EWING, N.J. – No. 10 Messiah women's soccer came close to upsetting No. 1 TCNJ on the road on Sunday, but the Lions rallied with a second-half goal and eventually took a dramatic 4-1 penalty kick decision to eliminate the Falcons and qualify for the NCAA Division III Final Four.
 
Lydia Eichorn tallied in the first-half Messiah, who saw their season end with a 17-2-4 record. This was the fourth-straight season the Falcons were ousted from NCAA Tournament by way of a shootout.
 
The Lions remained undefeated and moved to 21-0-1.
 
Early Chances
The Falcons gained possession from the opening kick, putting a bit of pressure on the TCNJ defense early. Messiah found the first two shots of the game in just the first two minutes, as Ellie Lengacher and Skylar Ulry both fired attempts but were unable to beat Lion goalkeeper Nicole DiPasquale.
 
In the 18' minute the Falcons earned a wonderful opportunity when Julia Kyne raced around her defender, down the right side of the field, and to the end line before slotting a great pass to a cutting Lengacher in the box. However, Lengacher's shot was mishit and skied over the crossbar.
 
Falcons Strike First
In the 25' minute the Falcons earned a corner from the left side, which required a strong serve into the wind. Sklyar Ulry got under the cross, and the ball hung up and carried before falling to the head of Lydia Eichorn on the far post. She jumped for the header and it went over the goal line, just inside the post. The goal gave Messiah a 1-0 lead and was only the fourth score given up by the Lions all year.
 
Foul Play
Messiah and TCNJ were each very aggressive defensively in the opening period, with the Falcons  committing nine first-half fouls alone. Despite finishing with just 14 fouls, it nevertheless was a season-high for the Falcons. One of those fouls in the first period set up a dangerous free kick for TCNJ just inside the right corner, but the ensuing cross into the box was cleared away by the Messiah defense, keeping TCNJ off the board.
 
Back and Forth
TCNJ and Messiah bookended halftime with great chances; late in the opening period Christine Levering found some space from 30 yards out and let go an attempt that the wind caught, but Falcon keeper Lydia Ewing managed to grab it at the last second on a dive to her right side. That save preserved the 1-0 lead, and soon Messiah went into the break.
 
Just two minutes after the break, Messiah had a great chance to double their lead, as Brooke Firestone dribbled around her defender on the left side of the box, got to the end line, and sent a perfect slot back to Julia Kyne in front of the goal. But Kyne's shot was saved on an incredible one-handed dive from DiPasquale, with the deflection going wide of the post.
 
Lions Capitalize
After DiPasquale's terrific save, TCNJ began to gain more possession and keep the run of play on their attacking end. They earned back-to-back corners in the 57' and 59', and on the second of the two the Falcons could not handle the combination of Jessica Goldman's cross and the high winds; Goldman's low serve went sharply into the goal box untouched, and it was deflected on the goal line and into the net for the equalizer. Goldman was credited with the goal, and in an instant it was the Falcons who gave up just their fourth goal of the season.
 
Pressure on Both Ends
In the 74' the Falcons nearly went back in front, as Mansfield started a break from the midfield. The sophomore beat a pair of defenders down the middle of the pitch and to the top of the box before finding Firestone to her left for a shot across the goal that clanged squarely off the right post and away out of danger.
 
Over the final ten minutes of regulation, TCNJ appeared to be knocking on the door of a come-from-behind victory, gaining several attempts to put through a game-winner. The Lions earned three corners and took seven shots over that span, three of which had to be saved by Ewing.
 
Nothing Doing in OT
Over the 20 minutes of extra time, neither team was able to create a great opportunity to score a golden goal, as there were no shots in the first extra period and only one from TCNJ in the second that sailed far wide of the goal.
 
The closest chance between the two teams came from the Falcons just four minutes into the first overtime, as Skylar Ulry sent a corner low across the box that somehow managed to get through and evade the feet of multiple Messiah players before being cleared away by the Lions.
 
Penalty: Shootout
As mentioned earlier, the Falcons were no stranger to penalty kicks, having lost via the decision in each of the last three NCAA Tournaments. TCNJ got things started behind Levering, with her calmly rocketing a shot past the left post to give the Lions the advantage. Sunny Gelnovatch stepped up for Messiah, and her attempt was well struck but only slightly to the left of DiPasquale, who used both hands to knock it down and away from goal.
 
The second round of penalties went much like the first, as Elizabeth Thoresen beat Ewing to the upper left corner and Barb Foster's attempt was saved by a diving DiPasquale to her left. With a 2-0 lead and plenty of confidence, Kayla Bertolino blasted her attempt just under the crossbar and out of the reach of Ewing. Skylar Ulry managed to get one back for Messiah, baiting DiPasquale to dive to her right as Ulry sent the ball dead center and in to cut the Lion lead to 3-1.
 
With that lead, all TCNJ needed was to score on one of their two remaining attempts, and Haley Bodden did just that, again going her left and sneaking in a low shot just inside the left post for the winner.

The decision sent TCNJ to the Final Four in search of their fourth NCAA Championship. Messiah's season ended with their 18th-straight NCAA Tournament appearance, and fourth-straight appearance in at least the Sectional Final.