GRANTHAM, Pa. – The No. 2 Messiah College Falcons defeated the Ursinus College Bears by a 1-0 final on the newly renovated Anderson Field turf on Wednesday night. Kristen Musser connected for the lone tally in the contest with the assist coming from Megan Wetzel on a penalty corner.
 
The goal came late in the first-half for the Falcons off a penalty corner inserted by junior Taylor Wiederrecht. The goal for Musser is her first of the season and just the second tally of her career.
 
The Falcons advance to 2-0 on the season and will play No. 5 Salisbury College on Saturday, at 1:00 PM on Anderson Field.
 
Big Moment
The biggest moment of Wednesday's game came with just under five minutes remaining in the first-half. Kristen Musser slotted a pass into the circle where Kris Levesque ran onto the ball and earned a penalty corner for Messiah. From the left-side, Taylor Wiederrecht inserted the corner to Megan Wetzel at the top of the circle. Wetzel's shot, moments later, was deflected past the goalie by Musser for the junior's first score of the season.
 
While the Falcons controlled possession for the majority of the contest, Musser took advantage of Messiah's best goal scoring opportunity of the evening.
 
In the Box Score
The Falcons outshot the Bears on the evening with 16 total attempts against just three from Ursinus. Messiah put six shots on frame with both Musser and Casie Stief registering a pair of attempts on target. Ursinus tested Shelby Landes twice, both in the first-half, but the senior goalie turned both shots away.
 
Messiah also collected a total of eight penalty corners against just three for the Bears. The Falcons turned up the pressure in the second-half, earning five penalty corners while the Bears picked-up just one.
 
Performances to Highlight
While it might not appear in the box score from tonight's game, the Falcons were led by their senior leaders. The poise and control displayed by the senior class of Stief, Kaylor Rosenberry, Kezia Loht, Shayna Landis, Megan Wetzel, and Shelby Landes allowed the Falcons to possess for large portions of the game and regulate the pace of play. Connecting well together and with their teammates, this senior class seemed to be a step ahead of the Bears all night long.
 
What's Up Next
The Falcons will next take the field on Saturday afternoon when they host the No. 5 Salisbury Sea Gulls on Anderson Field at 1:00 p.m. In their previous 38 meetings, the Falcons and Sea Gulls have played to an even record of 19-19 with Salisbury holding a slight edge in goals scored, 63-59. On Saturday, the Falcons will also dedicate the new turf on Anderson Field after the match.