NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – For the fifth-season in a row, the Messiah women's soccer team saw their season come to an end in the NCAA Tournament by way of penalty kicks. The Falcons drew the Lynchburg Hornets 2-2 in an end-to-end battle, but the Hornets edged Messiah 3-2 in penalty kicks to end the Falcons' season with an overall record of 19-1-2 in the Sectional Semifinals.
 
Lynchburg jumped on top early with a goal in the sixth minute, but the Falcons fought back with Brooke Firestone tying the game just 10 minutes later with her 20th goal of the season.
 
Lynchburg tallied late in the half to take a 2-1 lead heading into the break and the match stayed that way until Maddie Kohl connected on the equalizer in the 86th minute of regulation.
 
Kohl's equalizer sent the match into overtime where both teams held chances, but neither could find the back of the net. After two 10-minute overtime periods, the game turned to penalty kicks.
 
For the second time in the last five seasons, the Hornets got the better of the Falcons in penalties (2014 Sectional Finals) and advanced into the Elite Eight tomorrow evening against the winner of the Hope vs. Christopher Newport Sectional Semifinal.
 
Messiah ends the season with a 19-1-2 overall record after advancing to their 18th Sweet Sixteen since 2000.

Hornets Strike First
On the first shot of the game in just the sixth minute of play, Lynchburg's Caitlin Mertens collected a short cross from the right-side in the middle of the box and sent a high attempt to the left-side past a diving Sara Yunez. The ball ball nestled into the back of the net and gave the Hornets an early 1-0 lead just six minutes into the contest.

It was the 28th goal of the season for Mertens and the senior forward nearly tallied again eight minutes later, but Yunez made a stop on her shot on goal.

Firestone Equalizes
In the minutes following the Lynchburg goal, Messiah looked for their opportunity to level the match. After a few quality chances got the ball deep into the corner, Messiah got on the board ten minutes after Mertens tallied. It was the Falcons' leading scorer, Brooke Firestone with the equalizer. Maddie Waits sent a ball ahead to Firestone, who beat her defender for an opportunity down the middle of the field.

Firestone got a step on her defender and hit a hard, low shot to the left-side for the equalizer and her 20th goal of the season.

Lynchburg Leads Again
With the match back to level, Messiah began winning more of the territory battle with five shots in the next 18 minutes. Three of those attempts were saved by Lynchburg's senior goalkeeper Delia LoSapio between the pipes. LoSapio had a career night in goal for the Hornets, making a career-high 10 saves in the match.

Despite the pressure from Messiah, it was the Hornets that took the lead against the run of play with another tally from Mertens in the 35th minute. Messiah misplayed a ball on the backline that allowed Mertens another attempt from inside the box. She ran onto the loose ball and sent a shot to the left-side of the goal once again for a Lynchburg advantage.

Kohl's Ties It Up
The 2-1 Lynchburg lead held into the second-half when Firestone had an excellent chance at a tying the match with a breakaway run in the 50th minute. Firestone went one-on-one with LoSapio, but the Hornets' goalie read Firestone's touch correctly and made a sliding stop on her shot to keep it a one-goal lead.

Messiah continued to knock on the door, but the second equalizer would not come until the 86th minute when Sarah Strachan connected a long pass with Maddie Kohl on the right-side of of the box. Kohl took a touch before sending a shot off the inside of the far-post and into the goal, leveling the match at 2-2.

Kohl's score marked the second-straight game with a goal for the sophomore. It was her eighth of the season.

Chances For the Win
Messiah tied the match with Kohl's goal and then pressed for the game-winner over the final minutes of regulation with a handful of dangerous scoring chances, but the Falcons were unable to ind the winner and the match turned to overtime tied 2-2.

In the extra periods, both teams were a crossbar away from earning the golden goal victory and advancing to the Elite Eight. First it was the Hornets' Katie Waring ripping a shot off the crossbar in the 97th minute and then seconds later Waring collected her own rebound and put a shot to the right-post, forcing Yunez to make a diving save to extend the match.

In the 107th minute, it was Julia Kyne backspinning a shot from outside the box that was mistimed by LoSapio in goal. Like Waring's attempt, Kyne's shot hit square off the crossbar, but was cleared away before another attempt could be sent on frame.

After 110 total minutes, the game remained tied and a penalty kick shootout would be used to determined the advancing team.

Penalty Kicks
Facing penalty kicks for the fifth-straight season in the NCAA Tournament, Messiah came-up short in the shootout falling 3-2. Messiah and Lynchburg both connected on their attempts in the first round of kicks before saves from Lynchburg's LoSapio and Messiah's Lydia Ewing kept it a 1-1 score through the second round.

In the third round, Messiah missed high on their shot, while the Hornet's converted for a 2-1 Lynchburg lead through three rounds. After both teams connected in the fourth round to make it 3-2, Messiah needed to score their fifth round shot and keep the Hornets' from converting to continue the shootout. The Falcons' attempt rattled off the crossbar and Lynchburg advanced to the Elite Eight by way of a 3-2 penalty kick decision.

Historical Notes
- Including Friday's decision, Messiah's season has wrapped-up their season in penalty kicks in each of the last five years. A streak that began in 2014 against Lynchburg in the Sectional Finals.
- The two goals allowed in Friday's match by the Falcons is the first time since Sept. 10, 2016 that Messiah has conceded multiple goals in a single game. An amazing streak that spanned 65 matches across three seasons.
- With Lynchburg registering 12 shots in the contest, the Hornets are just the second team to take 10 or more shots in a single game this season (10 shots by Arcadia on Oct. 24).
- Friday's match wraps-up the careers of seven seniors, a class that accumulated an overall record of 80-6-9 (.889 winning percentage), including a trip to the National Championship Game, a National Semifinal appearance, an Elite Eight appearance, and this season's trip to the Sweet 16.