GRANTHAM, Pa. - The No. 5 Messiah women's soccer team dodged raindrops and notched three second-half goals en route to a 4-0 season opening victory over the Covenant Scots on Shoemaker Field Friday night. Brooke Firestone tallied once in each half to lead Messiah to the season opening victory.
 
Firestone picked up a rebound in the 17th minute and tapped it into the back of an open net to get the season scoring started. The Falcons led 1-0 at the break, but a quick start to the second-half featured tallies from Maddie Kohl and Sunny Gelnovatch, building the Messiah lead to 3-0 less than 15 minutes into the period.
 
Firestone tacked on a fourth, and final, Messiah goal in the 69th minute to secure the victory.
 
Messiah controlled possession on the wet pitch, allowing just two Covenant shots compared to their 39 total attempts (25 shots on goal) in the match.
 
Performances to Highlight
One of two Messiah targets, Firestone took six shots in the contest and put three attempts on frame, scoring both the first and last goals of the evening for the Falcons with scores in the 17th and 69th minutes. With her brace, Firestone collects just her second career multi-goal game (Nov. 2, 2017 vs. Lebanon Valley).
 
Including Firestone, a total of 14 different Falcons registered shots in the contest and seven collected at least three attempts in the game.
 
Closing Time
The Falcons put their foot down in the early portion of the second-half, scoring three goals in a 16-minute span from the 53rd minute to the 69th minute to put the game away. The stretch pushed Messiah's lead from one to four and ultimately put the game out of reach. From the left end line, Emily Lockwood sent a long cross through traffic that found a wide open Maddie Kohl in front of the goal. Kohl ran onto the ball in the 53rd minute, finding the back of the net to double the Messiah lead.
 
Just eight minutes later, Jessie Fisher connected with the head of Sunny Gelnovatch off a corner in the 60th minute. Gelnovatch redirected the strike into the middle of the goal, making it a 3-0 Messiah advantage.
 
As mentioned, Brooke Firestone capped off the scoring for Messiah with a through ball from Gelnovatch. While her initial shot was saved by a sliding keeper, Firestone picked up her own rebound and tapped in the ball for the fourth and final goal of the contest.
 
Extra Notes
With the opening day victory, Messiah moves to 20-0-1 in season openers in the last 21 years. In those contests, the Falcons have outscored their opponents by a staggering 81 goals (86-5).
 
In the game, Messiah outshot the Scots 39-2. By allowing just two shots on Friday, the Falcons have held their opponents to two shots or less in 60 of their last 123 games (since the start of the 2013 season).
 
What's Up Next
The Falcons are back on the pitch tomorrow night when Messiah hosts the Whitworth Pirates at 7:30 p.m. on Shoemaker Field. The Pirates enter the game 1-0-0 after a 2-1 double overtime victory against Franklin & Marshall on Friday night.