GRANTHAM, Pa. – The top-seeded Messiah women's lacrosse team earned a convincing 22-8 victory over the Alvernia Golden Wolves on Tuesday evening in the MAC Commonwealth Quarterfinals. The victory vaulted the Falcons into the MAC Commonwealth Semifinals against the fourth-seeded Stevenson Mustangs on Thursday evening.
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The Mustangs topped the Lebanon Valley Dutchmen on Tuesday in their Quarterfinals by a 15-12 final score.
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Messiah and Stevenson will square-off on Thursday night in Grantham at 5:00 p.m. on the Lacrosse Turf.
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See below for a quick preview of the game:
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No. 1 Messiah Falcons – 14-0 overall, 8-0 conference
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As mentioned, the Falcons completed their first undefeated regular season in program history, with a perfect 13-0 overall record. Messiah earned their 14th victory of the season with a 22-8 victory over Alvernia in the MAC Commonwealth Quarterfinals. In the First-Round victory, Messiah was led by sophomore attacker
Rachel Delate, who finished with nine points on four goals and five assists. With the five assists on Tuesday, Delate is now the program record holder for assists in a single season with 47 on the year.
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With Delate leading the charge, Messiah brings the 10th most potent offense in the country into the MAC Commonwealth Tournament with an 18.79 goals per game average.
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While the Falcons bring a dangerous offense Messiah's defense has been just as stellar. The Falcons have allowed just 67 goals on the season for a 4.79 goals against average. They are one of four teams in the country to rank in the top-10 in both scoring offense and defense. Messiah's average margin of victory is currently eighth in the country at 14.00 goals per game.
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No. 4 Stevenson Mustangs - 10-3 overall, 3-4 conference
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The Mustangs started off the season with nine victories in their first 10 games, suffering their only setback against the York Spartans on Mar. 24 (14-8). The Widener Pride then spoiled the Mustangs' senior day with an 8-7 victory in overtime before Stevenson wrapped up their season with a 15-4 loss against the Falcons.
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After defeating the Lebanon Valley Dutchmen 15-12 on Tuesday in the Quarterfinals, the Mustangs advanced to Thursday's Semifinals. Stevenson needed a late push to pull away from the Dutchmen after leading 12-11 with under three minutes remaining. Caroline Murphy led the way for the Mustangs in that victory by netting a half dozen goals in the contest. Murphy leads the conference in goals per game, averaging 3.54 scores a game.
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When They Met
The Falcons and Mustangs recently met in the regular season finale with Messiah picking up the 15-4 victory in Grantham just last week. Messiah outshot Stevenson in the game 40-16 with
Rachel Delate and
Makenzie Schnur combing for 11 points with six goals and five assists in the contest. A total of eight different Falcons scored in the victory. For the Mustangs, Caroline Murphy and Mary Marc each netted a pair of scores in the meeting.
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How to Follow
Messiah will host the Mustangs at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday evening for the MAC Commonwealth Semifinals. The Messiah Athletics Spectator policy will still be in effect for All MAC Commonwealth Championship Tournaments this spring, allowing current Messiah students, staff, and faculty to attend the contests, but No off-campus visitors will be allowed at Messiah Athletic events.
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Fans are encouraged to follow the action with a live stream of the contest available on GoMessiah.tv. Live stats of the MAC Commonwealth Quarterfinals can be found at gomessiah.com/wlaxstats.
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MAC Commonwealth Tournament History
In recent history, the Falcons have been the team to beat in the MAC Commonwealth, winning four of the last five Conference Championships contested. The Falcons won four-straight Championships from 2015-2018, before being knocked off in the semifinals during the 2019 season. In total, Messiah has won seven Conference Championships in women's lacrosse, claiming MAC Titles in 2006, 2009, and 2011 prior to their recent run of four-straight.
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Overall, in conference postseason play, Messiah holds a 17-10 record with seven Conference Championships, three Runner-Up finishes, and an impressive 16-4 record at home in the Conference Tournament.
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Messiah and Stevenson have met a total of five times in the MAC Commonwealth Tournament with the Falcons holding a 4-1 record. With the Falcons holding a 3-1 record in the Conference Championships Game against Stevenson.
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