Grantham, PA – No. 12 Messiah used a dominating performance across the entire field in a 20-1 conference win over Alvernia on Wednesday afternoon. The Falcons held a 7-1 edge at the break and then outscored the Crusaders 13-0 in the final period.
The 19-goal margin of victory was the largest for Messiah since a 19-0 win at Hood on Apr. 15, 2014. The victory moved Messiah to 8-2 overall and 4-0 in the MAC Commonwealth. Alvernia fell to 5-4 overall and an even 1-1 in the conference.
Triple Threat
For the second time in as many games, and only for the second time this season, the Falcons had three players score at least three goals.
Jenna Stover, Courtney Wager, and
Shayna Delaney all tallied three times, with Stover (first-half) and Wagner (second-half) scoring all of their goals in the same period.
Stover hit the three-goal mark for the sixth time this season, and she's scored 19 goals in the past five games. Her 33 goals this season lead the Falcons, and it's tied for her career-best mark set last season. She also collected three assists for the second time this season.
Four other Falcons—
Claire Stikeleather,
Ida Ehrhardt, Elle Barger, all
Michelle Krenzke—all tallied twice in the dominating offensive showing.
Unassuming Start
Despite finishing with a season-high 20 goals, the Falcons were held without a goal for the first eight minutes for just the second time this season. The first instance came in what was a 7-6 overtime loss to No. 5 Gettysburg, and the result today was far from similar. After scoring at the 21:55 mark off the stick of Ehrhardt, the Falcons rolled off four more tallies in the next seven minutes to go up 5-0.
Brooke Campione scored for Alvernia at the 13:09 mark of the first period, but after that it was all Falcons as they took a 7-1 lead into the break.
Defense to Offense
Messiah's offense may get the attention, but it was undoubtedly their defensive and midfield play that helped build the attack. The Falcons caused 15 of the Crusaders' 26 turnovers, with
Brooke Gamble (4),
Kendra Herbenar (3), and
Annika Johnsen (2) each forcing multiple giveaways. The defensive ride also held Alvernia to just 9-19 on clears and they generated just eight total shots.
Alexa Dipeso also collected three saves in her 48:01 on the field.
Up Next
Messiah takes a break from MAC Commonwealth play in their next contest as they host No. 1 Franklin & Marshall on Apr. 11. The Diplomats are currently 8-1 entering a contest with Gettysburg tonight.
