GRANTHAM, Pa. - The No. 1 Messiah women's soccer team earned a 5-0 victory over the Lesley Lynx in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday morning on Shoemaker Field. The Falcons tallied two goals in the first half before netting three more scores after the break en route to the comfortable victory. Megan Mansfield and Rebecca Ritchie each scored a pair of goals for Messiah while Brianna Seip scored one.

Messiah out shot the Lynx 27-6 in the contest, putting 13 shots on frame against just one from the Lynx.

Falcons move on to the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament and will play the Randolph-Macon Yellow Jackets on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. on Shoemaker Field with a trip to the Sweet 16 on the line.

Messiah Pressures Early
The Falcons wasted no time putting quality scoring chances together in the opening minutes of the match. Sunny Gelnovatch registered a shot in just the second minute, sending it over the bar. An off target shot from Kayla Herr followed before attempts from Megan Mansfield and Ellie Lengacher were saved all within the first five minutes.

After the early pressure, Messiah recorded just one shot in the next 15 minutes. During the stretch, Lesley put their only shot of the match on goal in the seventh minute, but Messiah keeper Lydia Ewing was up for the task, making the save to keep the game scoreless.

Falcons Find the Board
In the 23rd minute, Messiah sent a cross into the box from the right side. The delivery bounced in the middle of the box, but the Lynx were unable to clear it away. Messiah sent the ball back into traffic. After the ball bounced off a defender, Megan Mansfield was there to hammer the loose ball into the right-side netting for a 1-0 Messiah lead.

The next 20 minutes of play was contested primarily in the midfield. Messiah turned on the pressure once again in the final 10 minutes of the half, attempting five shots and putting four on frame. In the 43rd minute, Brianna Seip held possession at the top of the box and beat her defender to her right. After gaining a step of separation, Seip tucked a low shot inside the left post for a 2-0 Messiah lead heading to the half.

During the opening half, Messiah out shot the Lynx 16-3, putting eight attempts on goal.

Adding Insurance
After the break, Messiah found the back of the net just five minutes after the period began. Rebecca Ritchie carried the ball all the way to the end-line and sent a hard cross to Ellie Lengacher in the middle of the box. Lengacher controlled the feed and touched the ball to Mansfield, who ran onto the pass at the penalty spot for a one-time rip into the upper right corner of the goal mouth.

Six minutes later, Ritchie scored the first postseason goal of her career when Maddie Kohl sent a long cross into the middle of the box. The Lesley keeper came off her line to punch the ball away, but was unable to get to the cross. The delivery found the foot of Ritchie and she deftly connected for a 4-0 Messiah lead.

Ritchie was at it again in the 66th minute, thanks to a long ball from Sunny Gelnovatch. The long feed over the top from Gelnovatch put Ritchie in a one-on-one opportunity with the keeper. From a step inside the box, Ritchie slotted a shot under the keeper's right arm for the final tally in a 5-0 First Round victory.

Messiah finished the match with 27 shots against six for the Lynx. The Falcons put 13 attempts on frame against just one for Lesley.

What's Up Next
Messiah will have a quick turnaround as they play Sunday afternoon in the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament at 1:00 p.m. on Shoemaker Field. The Falcons will take on the Randolph-Macon Yellow Jackets on Sunday. This will be the second-ever meeting between the Yellow Jackets and Falcons, Messiah earned a 6-0 victory over Randolph-Macon back on Sept. 3, 2005.

Randolph-Macon defeated the Haverford Fords 2-0 in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday.