GRANTHAM, Pa. - On a chilly Saturday afternoon, the Falcons brought a hot offense into their MAC Commonwealth Championship game against Lebanon Valley. Having scored 27 goals in their last four games, the Falcons kept consistent pressure on Lebanon Valley all game long, in what was a 4-1 victory for Messiah. This claimed the Falcons 26th conference championship in program history and 13th consecutive championship.

Emily Knepp got the offense going with a goal coming just before the end of the first quarter to put Messiah up 1-0. Josie Weaver added to the score in the second quarter off an assist from Taylor Wiederrecht to put Messiah up 2-0. The Falcons picked up two goals in the third quarter coming from Hannah Palm and Taylor Wiederrecht to take a 4-0 lead before a late Lebanon Valley goal in the third quarter made it 4-1. The score held up for Messiah in the fourth quarter en route to their championship victory.

Knepp picked up the tournament MVP for the Falcons. Messiah will await their first round matchup in the NCAA tournament when brackets are released tomorrow night at 11:30 P.M. via a NCAA press release.

Knepp Finds The Cage
With the Championship on the line, the Falcons and Dutchmen traded possessions in the early going. Messiah had the edge in the first period, putting pressure on Lebanon Valley 5:07 into the game with their first penalty corner opportunity. Off the corner, Ashlyn Smith sent a shot in but missed the cage just wide. In the 9th minute, Messiah earned their second corner of the game but the Dutchmen's defense cleared the ball. 

With just 53 seconds on the clock, the Falcons were on the attack with Makayla Malcolm ripping a shot on frame. The Dutchmen's Nikki Willi made the save but couldn't stop Emily Knepp from finding the cage. Knepp picked up the rebound and sent it in to give Messiah the 1-0 lead over the Dutchmen with 50 secconds remaining in the first period. 

Weaver's Turn
Coming out of the first period break, the Dutchmen earned a corner 2:25 into the second period, sending a shot just wide. The Falcons retaliated with Taylor Wiederrecht slotting the ball to Josie Weaver inside the circle. Weaver didn't hesitate and beat the goalie, making it 2-0 in favor of the Falcons, earning her ninth goal of the season. 

The Dutchmen had their chances in the second period, earning a penalty corner in the 24th minute that resulted in a blocked shot. Moments later, in the 28th minute, the Dutchmen found themselves knocking on the door once more when Cecile Kat took a shot. The Falcons' goalie Megan Bomba stepped up to make the save, keeping the Dutchmen off the board going into the halftime break. 

Relentless Pressure Pays Off
With a 2-0 lead coming out of the halftime break, the Falcons were hungry for more. Just over a minute into the third period, Messiah earned their first penalty corner of the half. Off the corner, Taylor Wiederrecht sent a shot in that beat the goalie but couldn't beat Taylor Pentz, who made the defensive save to keep Messiah at 2-0. Despite the defensive save, the Dutchmen were still under heavy pressure. The Falcons earned another penalty corner immediately after Wiederrecht's attempt, with this one resulting in a saved shot from Hannah Palm in the 32nd minute. Messiah kept it going though, recording another corner just a minute later with Ashlyn Smith sending in a shot that just missed the cage. 

The Dutchmen got a brief break, taking the ball up the field but Messiah stormed down into the attacking third again with Taylor Wiederrecht sending a shot in that went wide. 

In the 37th minute, the Falcons' efforts finally paid off when Taylor Wiederrecht found Hannah Palm, giving Palm the perfect opportunity to find the cage. Palm didn't disappoint, striking the cage to earn her 13th goal of the season to give Messiah a 3-0 lead. 

After having an earlier attempt saved by a defender, Wiederrecht would not be denied in the 38th minute. Wiederrecht took a pass from Mackenzie Brubaker and swung hard to give Messiah a 4-0 lead. 

Dutchmen Respond
A 4-0 lead didn't stop the Falcons from pressuring the Dutchmen with two more corners and two more shots. Messiah couldn't capitalize on the opportunities as the Dutchmen began to transition back on the attack. With 24 seconds on the clock in the third period, Mikayla Poole worked her way through the circle and took a shot but Megan Bomba was there to make the save. Poole wasn't too far away from the rebound as she followed through and earned one for the Dutchmen. 

Finishing Like Champions
Despite an unchanged final score, the fourth period was no different for the Falcons as they took eight shots, matching their third period number. Just 27 seconds into the fourth period, Josie Weaver sent a shot in that was saved and Jennie Young followed it up four seconds later with a blocked shot. Just under two minutes later, Makayla Malcolm sent a shot in on frame but it was saved by the goalie. 

Messiah didn't slow down, plowing their way to the Title with a penalty corner in the 50th minute followed by back-to-back saved shots from Kristen Musser and Josie Weaver. In the 51st minute, Makayla Malcolm sent another shot in but was denied once again by the Dutchmen's goalie. Following Malcolm's attempt, Messiah earned another penalty corner that saw Jennie Young send a shot in, beating the goalie but not a Dutchmen defender.

The Falcons closed out the last nine minutes of the contest with one more shot from Hannah Palm while allowing the Dutchmen to record one corner and one shot in the 58th minute. 

Conference Championship Stats
With today's 4-1 win over the Dutchmen Messiah is now 64-9 in the MAC Commonwealth Tournament, outscoring opponents 255-56 in Tournament history. The Falcons' victory today is their 26th Conference Championship in 30 final appearances, winning their 13th-straight Title. 

NCAA Tournament Time
The Falcons are going to the NCAA Division III Championships for the 19th season in a row. Messiah will find out where they're going for the NCAA Tournament on Sunday night at 11:30 p.m.