Grantham, PA - No. 17 Messiah women's lacrosse scored seven-straight goals at one point en route to building a 10-2 halftime lead in an eventual 17-9 win over Muhlenberg on Saturday evening. Courtney Wagner led the Falcons with five goals and Jenna Stover collected both four goals and four assists in the win.
 
The win pushed Messiah to an even 1-1 on the season while Muhlenberg fell to 0-1.
 
The Falcons recorded 30 shots (21 on goal) to the Mules' 21 (18). Alexa DiPeso was strong in goal with nine saves, and Messiah won the turnover battle, causing 19 and committing 13.  Nine different players scored for the Falcons, and seven recorded assists. Kendra Herbenar anchored the defense with six groundballs and four caused turnovers, as well as scoring a goal on the offensive end.
 
Down From the Start
Ida Ehrhardt won the opening draw control for Messiah, but after a missed shot Muhlenberg raced down the field and scored just 93 seconds into the game to take an early 1-0 lead.
 
Falcons Take Control
Messiah rebounded from the sudden deficit to score seven-straight goals over the next 23 minutes. Just 43 seconds after the Muhlenberg goal, Ehrhardt got the Falcons on the board with a free-position goal. It was déjà vu for Messiah eight minutes later, as Ehrhardt scored another free-position goal, her third tally of the season.
 
Jenna Stover broke into the scoring column at the 16:07 mark to put the Falcons up 3-1, setting up a run of three goals in less than three minutes for Messiah. Jamie Bishop scored off an assist from Stover at the 14:32 mark, and Stephanie Athens made it 5-1 one minute later with her second goal of the season. Two more goals by Audrey Liberati and Stover put the Falcons on top 7-1 with five minutes to go in the opening half.
 
After a Mule goal at the 3:52 mark, Messiah rattled off three more scores (Wagner, Stover, and Allie Colson) to take a 10-2 lead into halftime.
 
The Falcon offense continued to fire on all cylinders in the second-half, increasing their lead to 13-3 ten minutes into the period. The first two goals were from the stick of Wagner, and Stover notched the third off an assist by Ehrhardt.
 
Mules Keep Fighting
Muhlenberg did not give up and go away quietly, as they continued to play hard and outscored Messiah over the final 20 minutes of the contest, 6-4. Jordy Bonvini and Kelsey Nagle each had three goals for the Mules, and Stephanie D'Ascoli recorded two goals and an assist.
 
However, the surge by Muhlenberg was far too little, too late, as Messiah claimed the 17-9 victory.
 
Next Up
The Falcons have a week off before facing No. 16 University of Mary Washington at home on March 4 at 1:00 p.m.