SCRANTON, Pa. - The No. 2 Messiah women's soccer team capped off the 2018 regular season with a 6-0 victory over the Marywood Pacers. Sunny Gelnovatch got the scoring started for the Falcons with a goal in the ninth minute off a pass from Julia Kyne. Messiah pushed the lead to 3-0 with a pair of goals from Lilly Shover in a 95-second span in the 36th and 37th minutes. Tallies from Brooke Firestone and Ashley Sauder gave the Falcons a 5-0 advantage heading into halftime.

Sauder scored her second of the match in the 74th minute to complete the scoring and give Messiah a 6-0 victory in the non-conference match to end the regular season.

Jessie Fisher assisted on the last five of Messiah's goals, setting a new Messiah women's soccer program record for assists in a game, breaking the record of four set by Rachel Horning on Oct. 28, 2008 vs. Lycoming.

The Falcons ended the regular season with a 15-1-1 overall record and with their scoreless draw against Arcadia on Wednesday, Messiah earned the top-seed in the MAC Commonwealth Tournament next week. Messiah will next take the field on Wednesday night at 7:00 p.m. when they take on the winner of the No. 4 vs. No. 5 play-in game that takes place on Monday.

Moments that Mattered
The Falcons quickly found their first goal of the game in the ninth minute when Julia Kyne crossed a ball to Sunny Gelnovatch for a blast from 24 yards out for the 1-0 Messiah lead. The goal was the 10th of the season for Gelnovatch, second most on the Falcons this season.

After the tally in the ninth minute Messiah continued to pressure, particularly Julia Kyne, who registered five shots in the next 15 minutes. All five of Kyne's shots went on frame, but Marywood keeper Aly Moyer turned all five away. Messiah's lead would double in the 36th minute on the second goal of the season for Lilly Shover. Jessie Fisher set up the 18-yard strike from Shover with a cross from the left-side.

Shover wasted no time finding her third goal of the season, netting another score just 94 seconds later. It was Fisher finding Shover again, this time off a corner kick to put the Falcons up 3-0 in the 37th minute. It was the first multi-goal game of Shover's career after she entered Friday with just two career goals.

After setting-up both of Shover's goals just five minutes earlier, Fisher was back at it, leading Brooke Firestone to goal on a give-and-go play that broke Firestone free for a goal from 10 yards out. The tally for Firestone was her team-leading 15th goal of the season.

With just 20 seconds left in the opening half, Fisher ripped a shot that was initially saved. The rebound fell to Ashley Sauder for the tap it goal, giving Messiah a 5-0 lead and Fisher four assists at the half.

While the scoring was all but done for the Falcons, Messiah did find one more moment in the 74th minute. It was Fisher again setting up the goal after she carried the ball toward the end line. A pass back found Sauder for a look from the top of the box and the 6-0 lead for Messiah.

The Falcons would hold on for the 6-0 victory, finishing the regular season with a 15-1-1 record.

A New Program Record
With assists on each of the last five goals in Friday night's game, Jessie Fisher set a new Messiah women's soccer program record for assists in a single game. Rachel Horning held the previous mark with four assists in a 12-0 victory over Lycoming on Oct. 28, 2008. Fisher and Horning are the only two Falcons to even have more than three assists in a single game in program history.

Fisher now has 11 assists on the season, currently tied for the 13th most in a single-season in program history.

National Ranks
The Falcons finish the regular season as one of the top two ways teams in the country. Messiah finished the regular season averaging 4.00 goals per game offensively, good for sixth in the country. As good as the offense has been, their defense has been even better, allowing just 0.18 goals per game, second lowest in the country.

What's Up Next
As mentioned, the Falcons have now completed the regular season and will transition into Postseason play. Messiah will host the winner of Monday's MAC Commonwealth Play-In Game on Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. on Shoemaker Field in the MAC Commonwealth Semifinals. The Falcons locked up the No. 1-seed in the Tournament thanks to a goal differential tie-breaker.