GRANTHAM, Pa. – For the 22nd-stragiht season the Messiah women's soccer team is into the NCAA Tournament. The Falcons head to Cortland, N.Y. this weekend to begin their journey through the bracket. Messiah will take on the Penn State-Berks Nittany Lions on Saturday morning at 11:00 a.m. while the No. 20 SUNY Cortland Red Dragons and Wesleyan Cardinals square off in the other First Round game. The winners will meet on Sunday afternoon at 1:00 p.m. with a spot in the Sweet 16 on the line.
 
Fans should note that since this is an NCAA Tournament event, tickets are required for all fans. The pricing for tickets are as follows: Adults: $6, Senior Citizens - $3, Students (valid ID) - $3, and Children - $2, Children under 3 – FREE.
 
See below for a quick preview of the four teams heading to Cortland, N.Y. for the Opening Weekend of the NCAA Tournament.
 

No. 5 Messiah University Falcons

The Messiah women's soccer team is back in the NCAA Tournament for the 22nd-straight season after winning the MAC Commonwealth Championship with a 2-0 victory over York. The Falcons are six-time National Champions and enter the 2022 Tournament with an overall record of 17-1-2. Messiah got quality results at the begin of the season against some of the top teams in the nation with 1-1 draws against No. 1 Misericordia and No. 2 Johns Hopkins along with a 2-1 victory over No. 6 William Smith on the road. The Falcons did suffer a regular season loss, falling 1-0 against York on Oct. 12. Messiah would avenge that loss with a 2-0 victory in the MAC Commonwealth Championship Game to clinch their spot in the National Tournament.
 
While the Falcons' offense does not have the overwhelming firepower than they have had at times over the last two decades, they can certainly get the job done. Messiah ranks 20th in the country, scoring 3.30 goals per game and have scored multiple goals in 15 matches this season. The Falcons had netted north of five goals on seven occasions. While the offense has been strong, the defense has been even better. Messiah has allowed just seven goals this season and after giving up two goals to Stevens in the season opener, Messiah has not allowed multiple goals in a game all season. The Falcons' defense ranks seventh in the nation with a 0.350 goals against average.

Players to Watch
    #3 - Rachael Tirjan - 11 goals, 6 assists, 28 points, 7 game-winning goals, 49 shots
    #24 Kylie Firestone - 9 goals, 5 assists, 23 points, 2 game-winning goals, 32 shots
    #27 Brianna Seip - 9 goals, 2 assists, 20 points, 38 shots
 

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Penn State - Berks Nittany Lions

 
The Penn State - Berks are a top-30 scoring offense in the country and enter the NCAA Tournament for the eighth time in program history after winning the United East Conference Championship. The Nittany Lions scored three goals in overtime against Penn State Harrisburg to clinch the Conference Championship last weekend. Emily Clapper earned MVP honors after scoring two goals. On the season, the Nittany Lions are averaging 3.20 goals per game and have three players with at least a dozen goals.
 
The Nittany Lions rolled through conference play with wide-margin victories over Lancaster Bible (9-1), Wells (11-0), Penn State – Abington (6-1), Gallaudet (10-0), and SUNY Morrisville (5-0). However out of conference play, the Nittany Lions have been as dominate with losses to Arcadia (1-0), TCNJ (6-2), Johns Hopkins (4-0), and Scranton (2-1) as well as a draw against York (2-2).
 
Players to Watch
    #10 Emily Clapper – 17 goals, 8 assists, 42 points, 5 game-winning goals, 70 shots
    #6 Sara Hathaway – 14 goals, 11 assists, 39 points, 2 game-winning goals, 69 shots
    #8 Diana Pon – 12 goals, 12 assists, 36 points, 4 game-winning goals, 104 shots
 
History Against Messiah
Messiah and Penn State - Berks have squared off three times in their history. The Falcons have claimed all three meetings, outscoring Berks 15-1 in their previous match-ups. Most recently, Messiah earned a 6-1 victory over Berks on Sept. 11, 2019. They also met in 2015 and 2016 with the Falcons earning shutout victories, 6-0 and 3-0, respectively.
 

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No. 20 SUNY Cortland Red Dragons

 
After starting the season 3-0-3 the Red Dragons cruised through the rest of the season, finishing the regular season 12-1-3. Their lone setback came against the No. 1-ranked Misericordia Cougars on Oct. 5 by a 2-0 score. Including that loss to Misericordia, the Red Dragons went 9-1-0 to wrap-up the regular season. After a victory in the SUNYAC Semifinals over Oswego, the Red Dragons drew the SUNY Geneseo Knights in the Finals before ultimately falling in penalty kicks to decide the Conference Championship.
 
Despite the loss, the Red Dragons are into the NCAA Tournament for the 14th time as an at-large bid. Cortland boasts one of the top defenses in the country, a group that has allowed just eight goals on the season for a 0.434 GAA. That mark is 15th best in the country while the offense has netted 52 tallies, good for a top-50 mark of 2.78 per match. Individually, Jaden Galluzzo leads the charge with 15 goals and five assists.
 
Players to Watch
    #16 Jaden Galluzzo – 15 goals, 5 assists, 35 points, 6 game-winning goals, 90 shots
    #24 Simone Neivel – 7 goals, 4 assists, 18 points, 3 game-winning goals, 49 shots
    #99 Kristen Spendal – 0.46 GAA, 56 saves, 0.875 save percentage, 13-1-4 record
 
History Against Messiah
Messiah and SUNY Cortland have never played in women's soccer.
 

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Wesleyan University Cardinals

 
The Wesleyan Cardinals are into the NCAA Tournament for the second time in program history and the second-straight season. A year ago, the Cardinals went on a magical run to the Final Four with victories over No. 2 Johns Hopkins and No. 8 MIT in the Sweet 16 and Elite 8 during their first-ever trip to the NCAA Tournament. This season, the Cardinals earned an at-large bid after going 8-5-5 thus far through the season. Wesleyan advanced to the NESCAC Championship Game, but fell 2-0 to top-seeded Amherst.
 
Playing in the tough NESCAC, the Cardinals have netted 24 goals on the season while allowing just 13 on the year. They are led by Grace Devanny's seven goals with Dani Milovanov and Audrey Lavey each netting a half dozen on the season. Outside of a 3-0 regular season loss to Amherst and that 2-0 setback in the NESCAC Championship Game, Wesleyan has not allowed multiple goals in a game since Sept. 17 against Hartford.
 
Players to Watch
    #26 Grace Devanny – 7 goals, 4 assists, 18 points, 2 game-winning goals, 66 shots
    #8 Dani Milovanov – 6 goals, 3 assists, 15 points, 2 game-winning goals, 35 shots
    #00 Sarah Hammond – 0.64 GAA, 42 saves, 0.840 save percentage, 5-4-5 record
 
History Against Messiah
Messiah and Wesleyan have never played in women's soccer.

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