EWING, N.J. - Taylor Holt and Kezia Loht gave Messiah a 2-0 lead after 25 minutes of play, and Messiah field hockey would never relinquish their advantage as they held off the Lions of The College of New Jersey by a score of 2-1 on Saturday evening. TCNJ was the third top-10 ranked opponent that the Falcons have faced on the road in their first five games of the season, passing yet another tough test on their unblemished record.
 
Messiah took 17 shots on goal compared to eight for TCNJ, with 13 on frame that resulted in Lion keeper Christina Fabiano recording a great performance with ten saves.
 
Falcons Strike First
After only one shot was managed between the Falcons and Lions (Kristen Musser in the 5th minute), Messiah came up with a great opportunity in the 13th minute as they took the ball deep into TCNJ's territory. The Lions managed to dispossess the Falcons, but Taylor Holt picked up the loose ball and knocked it into the cage for her third goal of the season.
 
The Falcons nearly doubled their lead at the 20-minute mark, as Carissa Gehman ripped back-to-back shots on goal. However, the first was saved by keeper Christina Fabiano and the second by defender Sidney Padilla. Messiah would find that second goal soon enough, though, as in the 25th minute Kezia Loht took advantage of TCNJ turnover deep in their defensive end and scored from close range to take the 2-0 lead.
 
Lions Fight Back
Just two minutes later, TCNJ scored off a penalty corner to cut the Falcon advantage to 2-1, as Kayla Peterson knocked it through off an assist from Jordan Paton. The Lions had a dangerous opportunity to even the score right before the break as they earned back-to-back penalty corners with no time left on the first-half clock. However, the shot off the second corner went wide of the cage to preserve the one-goal lead for Messiah.
 
Falcons Control Second-Half
Messiah constantly put pressure on the Lion defense throughout the second period, as eight of their 11 shots were put on goal. Five of those shots came in the first four minutes of the half, and after a lull, four more came in the final eight minutes. Loht had back-to-back attempts saved by Fabiano in the 62nd minute, and Gehman put two more on frame before the final horn, but the Falcons could were not able to find the elusive insurance goal. TCNJ had the last opportunity, but a shot off a penalty corner was blocked and Messiah won their fifth-straight game to open the season, 2-1.
 
Loht and Gehman provided the offense for the Falcons, as the duo took 13 shots and placed 11 on goal between them throughout the contest.
 
Next Up
The Falcons will look to keep the streak going on Wednesday, Sept. 20 as they travel to Washington D.C. to face Catholic University of America. Game time is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. in the nation's capital.