GRANTHAM, Pa. - In a top-25 showdown on the opening weekend of the 2019 season, the No. 7 Messiah women's soccer team took care of the No. 24 Stevens Institute of Technology Ducks by a 2-0 final score.
Brooke Firestone scored both goals for the Falcons with an assist from
Jessie Fisher on the first tally.
Firestone struck first in the sixth minute before doubling the Falcons' lead with a second goal in the 74th minute.
Messiah moves to 2-0-0 on the season and will next be in action on Wednesday when they host another ranked team in the No. 16 Johns Hopkins Blue Jays at 7:00 p.m. on Shoemaker Field.
Firestone Tallies Once in Each Half
Messiah controlled the pace of play through the opening minutes of Saturday's game, registering the first two shots of the night. Shots by
Kayla Herr and
Sunny Gelnovatch in the sixth minute both went on frame, but were turned away by Steven's keeper Erin McCarthy.
Just moments later the Falcons connected for their first goal of the game.
Brooke Firestone hustled down the right side, taking the ball all the way to the end line. Her slotted ball into the box found the foot of
Jessie Fisher who laid it off to
Sunny Gelnovatch. The one-time shot by Gelnovatch was initially saved, but the rebound fell to Fisher who touched it over to Firestone on the right post who finished the header for her first goal of the season.
The tally came a night after Firestone was held scoreless despite registering 12 shots in Friday season opening victory against Grove City.
In the 74th minute Firestone was at it again, this time off a corner kick for the Falcons.
Maddie Kohl sent a corner into the box from the left-side and it was touched down by the defense. Firestone took control of the ball at the top of the box and slotted a shot through a pair of defenders and into the side netting for her second goal of the game.
The two-goal game is the eighth multi-goal game of Firestone's career after she had six such games last season.
Stretches of Control
Saturday night's game featured strong stretches of play for both sides. As mentioned, Messiah controlled the opening minutes of the game, but immediately following the goal, Stevens was on the attack with dangerous chances.
The Falcons settled back in later in the first-half, picking up four corner kicks in the final 22 minutes of the period. Messiah was unable to convert on their chances at the end of the first-half and held a 1-0 lead heading into the break.
Immediately following the halftime break, Stevens came out at a feverish pace for the first 10 minutes putting Messiah on their heels. While the Ducks only took two shots during the stretch, they picked up four corners that resulted in many dangerous moments as they searched for the equalizer.
Just like the first-half, Messiah weathered the storm and settled into game. The Falcons ended up with an 11-9 advantage in shots in the second-half, putting five on goal against just two for the Ducks.
What's Up Next
Messiah will continue their opening season tests when they host No. 16 Johns Hopkins on Wednesday night on Shoemaker Field. The Falcons and Blue Jays have met 16 times all-time with Messiah holding a 11-3-2 record against Johns Hopkins. The two met last season on Sept. 5, with Messiah claiming a 3-0 victory in Grantham.
