GRANTHAM, Pa. - The No. 1 Messiah women's soccer team earned their third-straight shutout victory to open the NCAA Tournament, defeating the Trinity (TX) Tigers 2-0 on Shoemaker Field in the Sectional Semifinals on Saturday morning. The Falcons advance to their 15th Elite Eight in program history. The Falcons will face the No. 24 Williams Ephs, who defeated the Tufts Jumbos 2-1 in the other Sectional Semifinal on Saturday. The Sectional Final will take place tomorrow afternoon at 1:00 p.m. on Shoemaker Field.

The Falcons scored once in each half with Megan Mansfield tallying her fourth NCAA Tournament goal in the 20th minute. Maddie Kohl connected in the 82nd minute off a rip from the right-side.

Messiah outshot the Tigers 15-1 in the match, with Trinity attempting their only shot of the match in the 10th minute off the foot of Abby Blackwood that missed right.

Mansfield Keeps Going Strong
The first 20 minutes of Saturday's game was contested in the midfield. Messiah and Trinity each registered one shot during the opening 10 minutes. The Falcons had the more quality chances in the early going, but were unable to find the back of the net. Messiah put their first shot on frame in the 11th minute off the foot of Megan Mansfield, but the Trinity keeper saved the attempt.

The next nine minutes resulted in no shots for either side, but the Falcons held the advantage in the possession battle. Messiah would be the first to find the back of the net in the 20th minute off the foot of Megan Mansfield. Maddie Kohl carried down the right-side, cutting inside her defender toward the middle of the field. Kohl slipped a pass to Mansfield at the top of the box. With a defender on her back, Mansfield turned toward the middle of the box and ripped a left-footed strike to the top-center of the goal. The attempt dipped underneath the bar and just over the outstretched hards of the keeper, putting Messiah on the board.

The tally was Mansfield's fourth goal of the NCAA Tournament, after she was held scoreless prior to the Tournament this season.

The Falcons looked as if they were going to double the lead just a minute later, but a header from Ellie Lengacher hit off the crossbar.

Messiah continued to pressure throughout the remainder of the half, putting a pair of shots on goal in the 24th and 29th minute, but they were unable to add another score. The Falcons held a 1-0 lead at the break with an 8-1 advantage in shots in the first 45 minutes.

Red Card and Penalty Kick
The Falcons continued to keep their foot on the gas in the early portions of the second half, but registered just three shots in the first half hour of the period. That changed in the 77th minute, when the Falcons were awarded a penalty kick as a result of a red card in the box. Messiah's Brianna Seip carried into the box and attempted to get a shot off, but the Tigers' Kristen Canepa came in hard, tackling Seip and being set off with a red card.

Claire Brier stepped up and hammered the penalty kick off the woodwork and out of bounce. While the Falcons were unable to convert the penalty kick opportunity, Messiah played with a woman advantage for the remaining 13 minutes of the contest.

Late Insurance
The Falcons used that player advantage to their benefit, netting a late insurance goal in the 82nd minute to take a 2-0 lead. In the middle of the box, McKenzie Swartley pushed a pass to Ellie Lengacher on the right side of the box. Lengacher one-touched a pass along to Kohl, who was hustling on to the feed from the far right. After a controlling touch, Kohl hammered a shot through the keeper's hands and into the left-side netting for her second-straight Tournament game with a goal.

The second tally was the capper on the 2-0 shutout victory for Messiah.

What's Up Next
With the victory, Messiah advances to their 15th Elite Eight in program history. The Falcons will take on the No. 24 Williams Ephs on Sunday afternoon at 1:00 p.m. Williams disposed of the Tufts Jumbos 2-1 in the other Sectional Semifinal in Grantham.

The Elite Eight meeting on Sunday will be a battle between two of the most successful NCAA Division III women's soccer programs in recent memory. The Falcons and Ephs have accounted for seven of the last 11 National Championships.

Surprisingly, the Falcons and Ephs have only ever met two times in their history. Messiah holds a 2-0-0 all-time record against Williams with their last meeting ending in a 4-1 Messiah victory on Nov. 20, 2016 in the Elite Eight.