READING, Pa. - The No. 3 Messiah women's soccer team scored early and often en route to a 6-1 victory over the Penn State - Berks Nittany Lions on Wednesday night. In a game that was delayed due to lighting for 20 minutes, Messiah outshot Penn State - Berks 21-3 on the way to the controlling victory.
 
The Falcon's opened up the scoring right away in the fifth minute when Sunny Gelnovatch netted her first score of the season. Brooke Firestone notched a tally in each half while Kayla Herr, Rebecca Ritchie, and Rachael Tirjan rounded out the scoring, each connecting in the second half.
 
The Falcons' dominating effort brings them to 4-1-0 on the season and they will next prepare to host the Carnegie Mellon Tartans on Saturday evening on Shoemaker Field at 6:00 p.m.
 
Gelnovatch Gets the Falcons Going
As mentioned, Sunny Gelnovatch got the Falcons on the board with an early goal on Wednesday night. Early in the fifth minute, Gelnovatch picked up a failed clearance by the Nittany Lions and chipped the ball over the keeper's head for an early 1-0 lead. The goal came on just the second shot of the night for the Falcons.
 
Just a minute earlier, Ellie Lengacher registered the first shot for Messiah, putting the attempt on frame.
 
Firestone's Second Brace
Messiah kept the pressure high over the next 15 minutes with four more shots. Lengacher and Brooke Firestone both put attempts on frame during the stretch, but the second goal of the night would not come until the 23rd minute when Firestone connected for her third of the year.
 
Maddie Kohl fed Firestone, who took the pass and beat the keeper just inside the right post for her first goal on the night.
 
Despite Messiah putting two more shots on goal in the frame, their lead remained 2-0 heading into the second half. Following a corner goal from Kayla Herr in the 54th minute, Firestone put away her second goal of the night in the 60th minute on a shot that was hammered off the underside of the crossbar and into the back of the net. The senior's fourth tally of the season, gave Messiah a commanding 4-0 advantage with 30 minutes left to play.

Firestone's brace is her second of the season. She scored twice in her last game, against Stevens on Aug. 31.
 
Pulling Away In the Second Half
Starting with Kayla Herr's first goal of the season off a Maddie Kohl corner kick in the 54th minute, Messiah tallied four goals in a 20-minute stretch to open up a 6-0 lead with under 20 minutes to play. After Herr's and Firestone's tallies, Rebecca Ritchie and Rachael Tirjan each scored the first goals of their career off assists from Gelnovatch and Shae Stoltzfus, respectively.
 
Ritchie netted her score in the 68th minute off a through ball from Gelnovatch and Tirjan scored off a corner kick from Stoltzfus in the 74th minute.
 
The Nittany Lions scored a late goal off the foot of Karina Raykova in the 87th minute after the ball bounce around, but Messiah held on for the dominating 6-1 victory.
 
The Falcons had 11 different players record shots in the game as they held an overall 21-3 advantage in shots and a 15-3 edge in shots on goal.
 
What's Up Next
Messiah will return home for a match this weekend for a match against the Carnegie Mellon University Tartans on Saturday at 6:00 p.m. The Falcons and Tartans have met twice in their history with Messiah claiming a 4-1 victory in their most recent match on Sept. 15, 2018 on the road.