Messiah University

GRANTHAM, Pa. - The Messiah field hockey team lost a 3-2 heartbreaker in double-overtime to the Johns Hopkins Blue Jays on Sunday afternoon on Anderson Field in the Elite Eight. Messiah and Johns Hopkins were scoreless at the break before the Blue Jays took the lead in the 48th minute of play.
 
The Falcons battled back, scoring twice in the next 11 minutes to take a 2-1 lead with just over 11 minutes left in regulation. Josie Weaver put through the first goal for Messiah while Kristen Musser tallied off a feed from Jennie Young.
 
Johns Hopkins did not back down, starting in the 65th minute they earned three penalty corners in a span two minutes. On the third of the three attempts, the Blue Jays struck off the stick of Katie McErlean.
 
In overtime, a green card against the Falcons opened the field up even more than it already was, allowing the Blue Jays to score the game-winner and send Johns Hopkins into the Final Four for the first time in program history.
 
Messiah ends the season with an overall record of 20-1. With their win yesterday, Messiah claimed their 20th victory of the season, marking the first time in program history that the Falcons have won 20 or more games in three consecutive seasons.
 
Scoreless Start
The Falcons and Blue Jays traded scoring chances in the opening half, but neither team was able to get on the board in the first 35 minutes. The Falcons had their best chances in the first 15 minutes of the game, registering four shots (two on goal) and picking up a pair of penalty corners.
 
The Blue Jays' Valerie Hopkins attempted a pair of shots late in the half, but both were blocked and the match remained scoreless heading to the half.
 
Falling Behind
Just over five minutes into the second-half, it looked as if the Falcons were going to draw first blood with an attempt from the right-side of the circle by Kris Levesque. The sophomore's shot hit the far post and the Johns Hopkins cleared the ball out of danger. Messiah registered back-to-back shots in the 46th minute with attempts by Taylor Wiederrecht and Kristen Musser both saved by Jodie Baris.
 
Just two minutes after the Messiah shots were turned away, the Blue Jays countered with an opportunity against the run of play. Johns Hopkins' Abby Birk found Megan Ophel in transition down the left-side. Ophel sent her shot inside the left post for the 1-0 lead.
 
Quick Comeback
Messiah called a timeout immediately after the Johns Hopkins goal to regroup and the break did the trick. The Falcons promptly earned a penalty corner, but Kezia Loht's shot off the corner was saved. Two minutes later, Loht carried the ball through the midfield and entered the top of the circle before sending a pass to Josie Weaver on the right post for the equalizer.
 
In the 59th minute, Messiah took the lead when Jennie Young pushed the ball down to the end line in the right corner. Young sent a centering pass that got through the defense to Kristen Musser at the top of the circle. Musser swept the one-time shot inside the right post for the 2-1 Messiah lead. It was the seventh goal of the season for Musser, who scored six of those tallies in the last four games.
 
The Blue Jays Rally
Just as the Falcons rallied, the Blue Jays did the same after falling into a 2-1 hold. Johns Hopkins attempted three shots in the three minutes following the Falcons' second goal. Two of the three attempted were saved by Shelby Landes and the third went wide. Three penalty corners followed for Johns Hopkins and with four minutes left in regulation, on the third corner of the three Michaela Corvi tallied from the left-side off a feed from Katie McErlean.
 
The eighth goal of the season for Corvi tied the match and sent the contest into overtime.
 
Overtime
Both sides had dangerous chances during overtime with Johns Hopkins starting the first overtime period with a penalty corner. The Falcons were able to fight off the corner and, later in the period, Shelby Landes turned away a shot attempt by Megan Ophel to keep it a 2-2 game after 80 minutes of play.
 
The best chances for the Falcons came in the second overtime period off the stick of defender Mackenzie Brubaker. Just over 40 seconds into the second overtime, Brubaker ran onto a rebound and hit her shot off the pads of Johns Hopkins' goalie Jodie Beris. Four minutes later Brubaker split two defenders at the top of the circle and ripped a shot that missed just wide of the left post.
 
With two minutes remaining in the second overtime, Kris Levesque carried forward past the midfield stripe and with a defender coming on a collision occurred. While initially it did not look like a foul was going to called against either team, Levesque was eventually given a green card that forced Messiah to play the remainder of the match a player down. The player advantage proved costly as the Blue Jays turned a three-on-two breakaway just 40 seconds later into the game-winning goal, sending them to their first Final Four in program history.
 
Impact
The loss caps off the 2018 season for Messiah with an overall record of 20-1, marking the third-straight season with at least 20 wins. It is the first time in program history that Messiah has registered three-straight 20-plus win seasons.
 
Messiah will graduate a decorated class of six seniors off of this year's team. The senior class helped Messiah to an overall record of 80-9 during their four years in Grantham. It's the most wins in Messiah program history during a four-year period.