GRANTHAM, Pa. - After a classic two overtime battle on Shoemaker Field on Oct. 9 that led to a 0-0 draw, the Falcons and Arcadia Knights did battle again on Saturday afternoon with a MAC Commonwealth Championship on the line.
Brooke Firestone picked up her 19th goal of the season in the 28th minute to put Messiah up 1-0.
That 1-0 lead would hold into the half before freshman
Korinne Kovatch recorded her first and second career goals in the second half. Kovatch tallied in the 77th and 80th minutes to give Messiah a 3-0 lead.
Messiah held on and earned the 3-0 shutout over Arcadia to claim their 17th conference championship in program history. With the win, the Falcons clinch a spot in the NCAA Tournament and will await their First Round opponent on Monday afternoon when the NCAA reveals the women's soccer bracket during a selection show that begins at 1:00 p.m.
Getting on the Board
Heading into Saturday afternoon's match, the Falcons had scored just one goal in the last 443 minutes played against the Arcadia Knights. That tally came in last year's Conference Championship Game off the foot of
Brooke Firestone in double-overtime to give the Falcons a 1-0 victory. Messiah would start the scoring on Saturday with another tally from Firestone. This one would come much earlier in the contest as Firestone found the back off the net off an assist from
Sunny Gelnovatch in the 28th minute.
The tally was Firestone's 19th score of the season and gave Messiah a 1-0 lead after the first 20-plus minutes of play were an evenly balanced battled.
Messiah's one-goal lead would hold through the remainder of the first half.
Dangerous Moment for the Knights
In the second half, Arcadia gained more possession, putting some dangerous moments together. Their best chance came in the 64th minute, when the Knights put a corner kick into the box and recorded a pair of shots in quick succession. Looking for the equalizer, Veronica Garcia took the first shot, but
Lydia Ewing was there for the save. Just seconds later the rebound was put on frame by the Knights' Riley Nyhus, but the Falcons cleared the ball off the line and out of danger.
Kovatch's Second-Half Insurance
Prior to the 77th minute in Saturday's Conference Championship,
Korinne Kovatch had taken just nine shots in her collegiate career with no goals to her name. Three minutes later, Kovatch was responsible for a pair of shots and goals, increasing the Messiah lead to 3-0.
In the 77th minute,
Megan Mansfield carried the ball down the right-side of the box and slotted a pass back to Kovatch, who was waiting just inside the top of the 18. Her right-footed strike bent into the left-side netting for a 2-0 Messiah advantage. Kovatch was not done there, just three minutes later,
Rebecca Ritchie found Kovatch at the top of the 18 once again.
This time Kovatch turned to her right and unleashed nearly the mirror image of her last goal, scoring with her left foot into the right-side netting from just inside the box.
The brace from Kovatch gave Messiah a 3-0 lead with 10 minutes remaining. The Falcons would hold on for the 3-0 victory, improving to 18-1-1 overall and claiming their 17th Conference Championship in the last two decades.
Ellie Lengacher was named the MAC Commonwealth Tournament's Most Valuable Player.
What's Up Next
Messiah advances to their 20th-straight NCAA Tournament, thanks to the automatic qualifier from the MAC Commonwealth. The Falcons will find out where they are heading for the opening weekend of the Tournament on Monday, Nov. 11 at 1:00 p.m. when the NCAA Selection Show is aired on ncaa.com.
