ROCHESTER, N.Y. - The No. 2 Messiah women's soccer team advanced to the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament with a 2-0 shutout over the Centenary Cyclones in Rochester, N.Y. on Saturday afternoon. Brooke Firestone scored in the 23rd minute and Megan Mansfield tallied in the 65th minute to account for the Falcons' goals on the afternoon.
 
Messiah held a 24-0 advantage in total shots, registering 16 before the half and eight more in the second period.
 
The Falcons will take on the RIT Tigers on Sunday afternoon at 1:00 p.m. with a trip to the Sweet 16 on the line. RIT edged the Susquehanna River Hawks 4-3 on penalty kicks to advance to Sunday, after the two teams played to a 1-1 draw through two overtime periods.

Controlling the Pace
Messiah braved the cold in Rochester and dominated possession in their Opening Round victory. The Falcons held the Cyclones without a shot for the entirety of the contest, while taking 24 of their own in the victory.

Saturday's game marks the fifth time this season that the Falcons have not allowed a shot to an opponent. Messiah has allowed five shots or less 14 different times this season.

Scoring Moments
By controlling possession throughout the contest, Messiah earned a number of scoring opportunities. They connected on a pair of those attempts with Brooke Firestone scoring in the 23rd minute and Megan Mansfield netting a tally in the 65th minute.

Sunny Gelnovatch sent a feed to Brooke Firestone in the 23rd minute and the junior forward slotted home a ball from six yards out to put the Falcons on the board. The 1-0 lead held firm for over 40 minutes until Megan Mansfield scored her eighth goal of the season with a shot from the top of the box toward the top right corner to bump the lead to 2-0 in favor of the Falcons.

Messiah held on for the 2-0 victory to move into the Second Round o the Tournament tomorrow afternoon.

Second Round Match-Up
After taking care of the Centenary Cyclones, the Falcons turn their attention to the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) Tigers in the Second Round on Sunday afternoon at 1:00 p.m. The Tigers advanced to the Second Round after drawing the Susquehanna River Hawks 1-1. That game featured two goals in the first seven minutes of the match before over 100 minutes of scoreless play.

Sunday's match will be the first-ever meeting between RIT and Messiah.