GRANTHAM, Pa. – The top-seeded Messiah women's soccer team is scheduled to open the MAC Commonwealth Tournament on Wednesday night with the semifinal round being played on Shoemaker Field against fifth-seeded Widener at 7:00 p.m. The Widener Pride are fresh off a penalty kick victory in the MAC Commonwealth Play-In Game on Monday night over Hood.
Second-seeded York and third-seeded Lebanon Valley will square off in the other semifinal match on Wednesday night with the winner's meeting in the MAC Commonwealth Championship on Saturday, hosted by the highest seed.
Messiah has claimed a total of 18 conference championships in program history, with all 18 coming since 2000. The Falcons have advanced to the Conference Championship Game in every season that it has been contested, dating back to 2000.
Fans should note that since this is a Middle Atlantic Conference Postseason Tournament, tickets are required for all fans. The pricing for tickets are as follows: Adults: $6, Senior Citizens - $4, Students (valid ID) and Children - $2, Children under 6 – FREE.
See below for a quick preview of the MAC Commonwealth Tournament field:
No. 1 Messiah Falcons – 15-1-2 overall, 7-1-0 conference
The Falcons are once again the team to beat in the MAC Commonwealth Tournament. For the 20th time in the last 21 seasons, Messiah enters the conference tournament as the top seed, though this season the Falcons have a blemish on. Their ledger. On Oct. 12, York bent in a corner kick and held Messiah at bay for the 1-0 victory. Since that setback, Messiah has ripped off five-straight shutout victories, outscoring their conference foes 26-0. On the season, Messiah holds a 15-1-2 overall record with results against a handful of top-25 teams.
Players to Watch
#3
Rachael Tirjan – 10 goals, 4 assists, 24 points, 6 game-winning goals, 40 shots
#27
Brianna Seip – 9 goals, 2 assists, 20 points, 33 shots
#11
Kayla Herr – 3 goals, 3 assists, 9 points, 24 shots
No. 5 Widener Pride – 8-6-5 overall, 4-3-2 conference
The Pride earned their spot in the MAC Commonwealth Semifinal with a thrilling Play-In Game against the Hood Blazers. Widener and Hood were scoreless through 90 minutes. With the new rules, the overtime game required all 20 minutes of overtime to be played even though Hood scored in the 102nd minute. Widener answered six minutes later and then advanced in penalty kicks. On the season, the Pride are middle of the pack in the conference with 22 goals scored (1.16 per game, fifth) and 27 goals allowed (1.42 per game, fourth).
Players to Watch
#2 Alyssa Carman – 5 goals, 1 assists, 11 points, 38 shots
#29 Kelly Barr – 4 goals, 8 points, 3 game-winning goals, 30 shots
#1 Samantha Coon – 7-4-4 record, 0.66 GAA, 68 saves, .840 save %, 1325 minutes played
When They Met
Messiah and Widener played in the Falcons' final game of the regular season. Messiah netted half a dozen tallies in the shutout victory to clinch the top seed in the MAC Commonwealth Tournament. Four different Falcons scored in the match with
Julia Martin and
Korinne Kovatch each netting a pair as the Falcons outshot the Pride 22-2 in the match.
No. 2 York College Spartans – 11-3-4 overall, 6-0-2 conference
Last year's MAC Commonwealth Runner-Up, the York Spartans have put together another strong season in 2022. The Spartans are the lone team to knock off the top-seeded Falcons by way of a 1-0 victory on Oct. 12. Beyond that victory, York has earned a number of strong results, including a 6-0-2 record in the conference. The Spartans are second in the conference in both scoring offense and defense with 27 goals scored (1.50 per game) and 14 goals allowed (0.78 per game).
Players to Watch
#24 Makayla Harper – 7 goals, 1 assist, 15 points, 2 game-winning goals, 34 shots
#4 Erin Snyder – 4 goals, 6 assists, 14 points, 2 game-winning goals, 25 shots
#1 Jacqueline Keogh – 11-3-4 record, 0.68 GAA, 70 saves, .854 save %, 1587 minutes played
When They Met
As mentioned, the Spartans snapped a streak of 150 straight regular season conference matches without a loss for the Falcons on Oct. 12 with a 1-0 victory on Shoemaker Field. York's Sabrina McGuigan scored her only goal of the season straight off a corner in the 28th minute and the Spartans held off Messiah for the remainder of the match. The Falcons held a 22-8 advantage in shots, putting eight on frame against four from the Spartans.
No. 3 Lebanon Valley Dutchmen – 6-6-4 overall, 5-2-1 conference
The Dutchmen shook off a rocky 1-3-3 start to the season through non-conference play and rattled off a 5-1-1 record at the start of the conference slate. While the Dutchmen ended the season with loss to Messiah (5-0) and York (1-0), they clinched the third seed in the Tournament with a 5-2-1 conference record. After scoring just five goals in their first seven games, the Dutchmen have picked up the offensive output, netting 15 goals in their final nine matches.
Players to Watch
#31 Alyssa Peiffer – 4 goals, 1 assist, 9 points, 2 game-winning goals, 27 shots
#26 Sierra Young – 2 goals, 2 assists, 6 points, 12 shots
#1 Jocelyn Umana – 6-6-4 record, 1.56 GAA, 95 saves, .792 save %, 1440 minutes played
When They Met
The Falcons earned a 5-0 victory over the Dutchmen just over a week ago on the road.
Julia Martin netted a pair of goals for the Falcons as Messiah controlled the match, outshooting the Dutchmen 22-2 on the afternoon.
