YORK, Pa. - In a top-20 showdown in York, the No. 20 Messiah women's lacrosse team upset the No. 6 York Spartans 14-8 on Wednesday afternoon to remain undefeated and take over the top spot in the MAC Commonwealth. The Falcons took an early 4-0 lead and eventually held a 4-2 advantage at the half. After a quick burst from the Spartans early in the second half made it a 5-5 game, Messiah rattled off nine of the next 10 goals to take control of the match at 14-6.
 
Despite a pair of late goals from York, Messiah held on for the 14-8 victory.
 
Seven different Falcons tallied two goals each while Makenzie Schnur handed out five assists to lead Messiah.
 
Messiah improves to 10-0 on the season with the victory and will be back in action on Saturday when they host the Widener Pride at 2:00 p.m.
 
Defensive Opening Half
The Falcons have made it a habit of scoring early this season. That opening goal was a little more elusive against the Spartans' defense on Wednesday afternoon. Messiah's first four shots either hit the post or were saved in the opening four minutes of the contest. Messiah would eventually break through with 23:25 remaining in the opening half when Makenzie Schnur turned down a free position attempt to find Ehryn Groothoff for the score.
 
The tally from Groothoff was the first of four-straight scores by Messiah in the first half to build a 4-0 lead. Schnur got her second assist of the afternoon just five minutes later, connecting with Rachel Delate for her 28th goal of the season, bumping the lead to 2-0 in favor of Messiah.
 
Later in the half, the Falcons turned that 2-0 lead into a 4-0 advantage with back-to-back goals from Grace Gormley and AbbyEllen Wood within a minute and a half of each other. Messiah's possession-based offense in the opening half allowed the Falcons plenty of time to find quality looks at the cage.
 
Messiah's defense was fantastic throughout the entirety of the game, but was especially stingy in the opening half. While York did score a pair of goals in the final two minutes of the period, Messiah allowed just nine shots in the half and forced nine turnovers to take a 4-2 lead into the break.
 
Quick York Burst
After the half, York went on a brief 3-1 burst in the first three and a half minutes of the second half, more than doubling their scoring from the opening half. The quick run leveled the score at 5-5 with 26:41 remaining in regulation.
 
The run was fueled by scores from Kiersten Blanchard, Jenna Cholowinksi, and Madison Marciniak while Grace Gormley scored her 10th goal of the season for the Falcons.
 
Massive Run Seals the Upset
With the game tied at 5-5, Hope Flack quickly snagged the ensuing draw control and the Falcons promptly scored. Flack netted the tally off a feed from Schnur, putting the Falcons in front 6-5. That lead started a streak of six-straight Messiah goals and a 9-1 run in favor of the Falcons. Tallies by Groothoff, Emma Lytle, another by Flack, and two from Abby Howard followed and the Falcons took an 11-5 lead with just over 17:24 remaining in regulation.
 
The Spartans scored to pull within five at 11-6, but Messiah rattled off three more goals with the second scores of the game from AbbyEllen Wood, Rachel Delate, and Emma Lytle finding the back of the cage to put Messiah up 14-6.
 
Two unassisted scores from the Spartans closed on the game, but the 9-1 run in the middle of the second-half sealed the deal for the Falcons as they knocked off the No. 6 York Spartans by a 14-8 final.
 
With the victory, Messiah takes over sole possession of first place in the MAC Commonwealth with a 10-0 overall record and a 5-0 mark in the conference.
 
Balanced Attack
In total, seven different Falcons found the twine with all seven scorers netting a pair of goals. That crew of scorers was Hope Flack, Grace Gormley, Abby Howard, Ehryn Groothoff, Rachel Delate, Emma Lytle, and AbbyEllen Wood. Howard and Katie Heck each picked up an assist while Makenzie Schnur added a career-high five assists.
 
What's Up Next
The Falcons will be back in action on Saturday for a home contest against the Widener Pride at 2:00 p.m. on the Lacrosse Turf. Messiah is down to their final three regular season games of the year.