READING, Pa. - The No. 24 Messiah women's lacrosse team wasted little time getting on the board on Wednesday afternoon against the Albright Lions, scoring off a Rachel Delate free position attempt just 41 seconds into the contest. Messiah went on to take a 10-2 lead at the half en route to a 19-6 victory over Albright, improving to 3-0 on the season. The game marked the first conference action for the Falcons since the 2019 season.
 
Amanda Wadsworth and Hope Flack each tallied a game-high five goals for the Falcons, with Delate notching four goals. Delate's offensive contributions increased her season goals total to 13, a team-leading mark through the opening three games. The Falcons outshot the hosts, 35-12, sinking Albright to a 1-2 overall record.

Hot Start 
With a 1-0 edge just 41 ticks into the game, the Falcons tacked on six more in the following nine eight minutes to claim a commanding 7-0 lead. During the scoring run to begin the game, Messiah registered five different goal scorers. Flack's sixth goal of the season came at the 16:52 mark, increasing the Falcon lead to 8-0. The junior midfielder notched Messiah's next two goals, cruising into halftime leading Albright, 10-2.
 
During the dominant first half, Messiah outshot Albright, 22-6. The Falcons went 10-13 (.769%) in draw controls, while forcing 16 turnovers from the Lions. Wadsworth contributed two goals in the opening half, her first two goals of the 2021 campaign.
 
No Looking Back
A tally from Flack and a pair of goals from Delate had Messiah riding a 3-0 scoring run just three minutes in to begin the second half of play. Leading, 13-2, the Falcons never looked back. Three-consecutive goals from Wadsworth gave Messiah a 16-2 advantage, capping off her game-high scoring performance.
 
The Lions notched three-straight goals to cut their deficit to 16-5 with 7:53 remaining in the game. The Falcons had three different scorers in Emma Lytle, Abigail Evans, and Flack's fifth goal of the game to close out the resounding road victory, 19-6.
 
Notable Falcons
Messiah had seven different goal scorers throughout the game, with Lytle tallying two goals, as well as a goal from Katie Heck. Delate dished out four assists to match her four goals, registering eight points. With the game-high performance, Delate has registered at least eight points in three out of the four contests for Messiah.
 
Goalkeepers Mackenzie O'Haver and Heather Burnham split time in net for the Falcons. Burnham recorded two saves, while four saves from O'Haver set a new career-high, earning her third victory in a Messiah uniform.
 
What's Up Next
Messiah (3-0) looks to continue its perfect start to the season when it hosts DeSales University (0-1), tomorrow, Mar. 18, at 4:15 p.m. on the Lacrosse Turf.