GRANTHAM, Pa. - With a trip to Johns Hopkins University for the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament on the line, the Falcons utilized a heavy attack to shut down the Worcester State Lancers. It was the Hannah Palm show in the first period as the junior struck the cage in the 3rd, 11th, and 15th minute to give Messiah a 3-0 going into the second period. Messiah was held scoreless in the second period but Palm ignited the Falcons' offense in the third. In the 35th minute, Palm sent in her fourth goal of the game and her 17th of the season to give Messiah a 4-0 lead over the Lancers. Notably, Palm is now 37th all-time in program history for individual goals in a season with 17. Palm is also tied with seven other players for second in program history with four goals in a single game. 

The Falcons continued with relentless pressure in the 37th minute as Nicole Shank found the cage to make it 5-0. Later in the fourth period, it was Messiah's Ashley Levesque and Makayla Malcolm running the show. Levesque and Malcolm went back and forth on goals as Levesque struck in the 47th and 53rd minute while Malcolm tallied in the 52nd and 60th minute to cap off Messiah's 9-0 routing of the Lancers. 

Messiah recorded 25 shots in the contest, putting 17 on frame while holding the Lancers to just two shots all game with one on goal. The Lancers' lone shot on goal came in the 55th minute and hit the left post. The Falcons earned 12 penalty corners in the contest while allowing just one for the Lancers.

All Business
In their 33rd appearance in the NCAA Tournament, the Falcons showed their experience right from the first whistle. Just a minute and 35 seconds into the contest, Kristen Musser sent a shot in that just missed the cage. Just over a minute later, Mackenze Brubaker ripped one down the center of the circle that was saved, setting up Hannah Palm perfectly. With the Lancers' goalie on the ground from Brubaker's attempt, Palm collected the ball, turned towards the cage and sent one top shelf to give Messiah a 1-0 lead 2:49 into the contest.

In the 6th minute, the Lancers took their only shot of the half but Megan Bomba was there to make the save. The Falcons' Taylor Wiederrecht sent a shot on frame in the 8th minute but her attempt was saved and played out of the circle. Then in the 11th minute, off a penalty corner, Ashlyn Smith sent a hard shot from the top of the circle that found Hannah Palm's stick just in front of the goal, making it 2-0 in favor of the Falcons. With 46 seconds remaining in the first period, Josie Weaver slotted the ball across the circle and found Hannah Palm. Palm struck the cage again, earning the hat trick while giving Messiah the 3-0 at the end of the first period. 

Messiah maintained possession in the second period, recording four shots and one penalty corner but couldn't find the cage. The Lancers earned their lone penalty corner in the contest in the 22nd minute but failed to record a shot.

History In The Making
Coming out of the halftime break the Falcons were relentless. Messiah earned three corners in the span of 16 seconds in the 33rd minute. After the third corner, Kristen Musser sent a shot in in the 34th minute but her attempt was saved. Then just under a minute later, Hannah Palm tallied again to make it 4-0, earning her 17th goal of the season. Palm's 17 goals on the season puts her 37th in program history for individual goals in a season. Palm is also the ninth player in program history to tally four times in a single game, tying her with seven other players for second in program history. 

One minute and 20 seconds after Palm's tally, Messiah was knocking on the door again, recording three more corners in a 13 second span. Jess Davis sent a lofted shot on frame off a corner but it was swatted out of the air. In the 37th minute, Nicole Shank inserted another corner and stayed close to the cage. The ball trickled to Shank's stick and she didn't hesitate as she swung to beat the goalie, making it 5-0. Messiah recorded another four shots and three corners to close out the third period but the Lancers' defense played well and denied the Falcons' chances.

In the fourth period, it was Levesque and Malcolm leading the charge. In the 47th minute, Mackenzie Brubaker sent the ball into the circle and Ashley Levesque got a touch on it to give Messiah a 6-0 lead. In the 52nd minute, Makayla Malcolm picked up a loose ball and sent it to the back of the cage. Just 35 seconds later it was Brubaker connecting with Levesque again, increasing the Falcons' lead to 8-0. 

The Lancers gained a bit of momentum in the 55th minute, striding down the field with numbers on their side. Worcester State worked their way into the circle and sent a hard shot in that pinged off the left post, missing the cage by inches. The Falcons collected the ball and cleared it away. 

In the closing seconds of the contest, Makayla Malcolm fired another one into the cage, earning her second goal of the game to give Messiah a 9-0 victory over the Lancers. Messiah's nine goals against Worcester State are their most goals in an NCAA Tournament with their previous record at seven goals against Lynchburg in 2010 and Alvernia in 2005.

Next Round
With today's victory, the Falcons advance to the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament for a 2018 Elite Eight rematch against the Johns Hopkins Blue Jays. The Falcons and Blue Jays will square off on Saturday, Nov. 16 at 11:00 a.m. at Johns Hopkins' field in Baltimore, Md. Messiah holds a slight 3-2 edge over the Blue Jays but lost this season's contest 4-2 on the road on Sept. 25.