GRANTHAM, Pa. - The top-seeded Messiah women's soccer team claimed a 6-0 victory to advance to their 20th-straight appearance in the MAC Commonwealth Championship Game. Messiah scored three first-half goals en route to the shutout victory.
Sunny Gelnovatch got the scoring started in the 10th minute, rattling a shot off the crossbar and into the back of the net.
Maddie Kohl and
Lindsay Haseltine tallied in the opening half while
Shelby Burger found the twine along with Gelnovatch and Kohl picking up their second tallies of the game in the second period.
Messiah outshot the Lions 44-3 in the match, controlling possession for the vast majority of the contest.
The Falcons move on to play the second-seeded Arcadia Knights on Saturday afternoon at 12:00 p.m. on Shoemaker Field. Arcadia defeated the Stevenson Mustangs 2-0 in the other semifinal match on Thursday night.
Building a Lead
After heavy pressure through the opening stretch of play, Messiah would find their first score of the night in the 10th minute. The Falcons earned a corner kick on the left side. After the initial service was knocked down the ball found its way to the foot of
Sunny Gelnovatch on the right side. The rip from Gelnovatch hit the underside of the crossbar and nestled into the back of the net for the 1-0 Messiah lead.
Sixteen minutes later the Falcons struck again. In the 26th minute,
Ellie Lengacher carried posession into the far left corner, unleashing a cross to the near post for a waiting
Maddie Kohl. A redirection from Kohl snuck inside the near post, doubling the Falcons' lead to 2-0.
Messiah continued to deliver heavy pressure over the next 18 minutes but were unable to find the back of the net until the 45th minute. With just seconds remaining in the opening half, a loose ball trickled to
Lindsay Haseltine, who ran onto the ball and hammered a well-struck ball under the crossbar in the right side for a 3-0 Falcons' lead heading into the half.
During that opening half, Messiah outshot the Lions 20-0, putting seven attempts on frame.
Second-Half Insurance
During the first three minutes of the second half, the Lions attempted two of their three shots in the game, sending one wide and having another blocked. In the 49th minute,
Brooke Firestone had the first look of the half for the Falcons, sending her shot from the middle of the box off the left post. The rebound found
Shelby Burger on the left side and Burger ran onto the rebound and slotted in the fourth goal of the game.
Sunny Gelnovatch scored her second goal of the match in the 57th minute as she ran on to a loose ball on the right-side of the box. Gelnovatch's one-touch shot was a laser that ricocheted off the left post and into the back of the net for the 5-0 lead. With her second tally, Gelnovatch collected her first multi-goal game of the season.
In nearly the exact same spot,
Maddie Kohl scored her second goal of the game five minutes after Gelnovatch connected. In a similar play, a defender poked a ball free from
Brooke Firestone on the right side of the box and Kohl stepped into a shot inside the left post. Kohl's brace is her second of the season and first since a two-goal performance against Grove City in the season opener.
In the Box Score
After being held to 16 shots in their first meeting against Albright, Messiah unleashed 44 shots on Thursday night, setting a new season high.
Sunny Gelnovatch led the team with nine shots while
Brooke Firestone attempted seven on the night and Rachel Tirjan registered five attempts.
What's Up Next
The Falcons have punched their ticket to their 20th-straight Conference Championship Game. Messiah will play the Arcadia Knights on Saturday afternoon at 12:00 p.m. on Shoemaker in a rematch of the last three Conference Title Games.
Messiah and Arcadia met on Oct. 9 with the two sides playing to a scoreless draw, despite the Falcons taking 40 shots in the contest.
