GRANTHAM, Pa. – The Messiah women's soccer team will be playing in their 14th Final Four in program history this weekend when they head to Salem, Va. to take on the Johns Hopkins Blue Jays on Friday afternoon. The Falcons and Blue Jays will square off at 1:00 p.m. at Roanoke College in the first of two Final Four games played in Salem. The Case Western Reserve Spartans will take on the Virginia Wesleyan Marlins in the other National Semifinal at 4:00 p.m.
 
See below for a quick preview of the teams heading to Salem this weekend:

No. 5 Messiah University Falcons

 
With their game against Johns Hopkins, the Falcons will be playing in their 14th Final Four in program history. Messiah is the most decorated team in Division III women's soccer with 10 National Championship Game appearances and six National Championships to their name. Most recently, the Falcons claimed the 2019 National Title with a 1-0 victory over William Smith.
 
This year, the Falcons have gutted their way to Salem after playing in some pretty tough weather conditions in the first two weekends. After a 3-0 win over Penn State Berks and a 1-0 victory over Wesleyan in a snowstorm in Cortland on the opening weekend, Messiah took down Emory 1-0 and advanced in penalty kicks against WashU in freezing temperatures in Pittsburg two weeks ago. Messiah's defense in the tournament has been stingy, allowing just two goals, both against WashU, while scoring seven of their own. All seven of Messiah's NCAA Tournament goals have come in the second half.
 
Messiah advance through penalty kicks in the Elite Eight after a thrilling back and forth game with the WashU Bears. The Falcons converted on all five of their kicks to move into the Final Four once again.
 
Players to Watch
            # 3 Rachael Tirjan – 13 goals, 8 assists, 7 game-winning goals, 56 shots
            #18 Kristina Akselsen – 3 goals, 6 points, 24 game started in the midfield
            #23 Jenna Skurcenski – 24 games started on a defense with nine goals allowed on the year
 

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No. 2 Johns Hopkins University Blue Jays

 
Johns Hopkins will play in their second Final Four in program history after not playing a home game throughout the NCAA Tournament. The Blue Jays are one of the hottest teams in the country, winning 19-straight games after back-to-back draws early in the year against Messiah (1-1) and Carnegie Mellon (2-2). That streak is the longest current winning streak among and men's or women's soccer teams at any level of collegiate athletics.
 
The Blue Jays rolled through their first two Tournament games with a 6-0 victory over Lesley and a 4-0 win over Trinity (CT). A tougher test faced them in Williams in the Sweet 16, but a 2-1 victory moved them into the Elite Eight when the No. 2 Blue Jays took down the No. 1 Misericordia Cougars 2-0 to advance to the Final Four. The Blue Jays are led by the nation's eighth-highest scoring offense, averaging 4.04 goals per game. Their defense is just as good, allowing just .388 goals per game for the best scoring margin in the country.
 
Plays to Watch
    #4 Breukelen Woodard – 19 goals, 5 assists, 43 points, 7 game-winners, 81 shots
    #15 Katie Sullivan – 14 goals, 12 assists, 40 points, 4 game-winners, 76 shots
    #00 Emma Huntzinger – 0.50 GAA, 36 saves, 0.800 save percentage, 18-0-2 record
 
History Against Messiah
The Blue Jays are no stranger to the Falcons. The two teams have met 19 times in their history with the Falcons holding a 12-3-4 all-time record against their regional rival. On Sept. 7, the two teams drew 1-1, with Messiah scoring in the 86th minute off a corner to equalize. Hannah Adair scored the tying goal for the Falcons while Katie Sullivan scored for the Blue Jays. Johns Hopkins outshot Messiah 11-8 in that game.
 

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No. 4 Case Western Reserve Spartans

 
The Spartans are in the Final Four for the first time in program history after advancing as far as the Sweet 16 last season. With a 19-0-1 record, CWRU has set a program record for wins in a single season, and the team's 66 goals are a single-season program record. The Spartans won the University Athletic Association Championship for the first time in program history to earn the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Case Western got to do its work in the NCAA Tournament at home, winning all four of their Tournament matches by multiple goals, defeating Pitt.-Greensburg 6-1 in the First Round, Ithaca 6-0 in the Second Round, No. 15 Loras 3-1 in the Sweet 16, and No. 6 William Smith 4-2 in the Elite Eight.
 
The Spartans are making their fourth all-time appearance in the NCAA Championship after previous entries in 2021, 2019, and 2011. Case Western Reserve is 7-2-1 (.750) all-time in tournament matches, advancing as far as the Round of 16 in 2021. The team is making its first ever trip to the semifinals.
 
Case Western has scored 19 goals in the NCAA Tournament this season and are just two away from tying all-time record for most goals in an NCAA Tournament (21, Messiah, 2001).
 
Players to Watch
    #11 Camryn Hartman – 13 goals, 10 assists, 36 points, 6 game-winning goals, 88 shots
    #22 Helina VanBibber – 9 goals, 4 assists, 22 points, 2 game-winning goals, 31 shots
    #0 Maggie Storti – 0.64 GAA, 49 saves, 0.803 save percentage, 19-0-1 record
 
History Against Messiah
The Falcons and Spartans have never met in women's soccer.
 

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 Virginia Wesleyan University Marlins

 
For the second time in program history, Virginia Wesleyan has advanced to the Final Four after a stellar regular season and a strong run through the NCAA Tournament. The Marlins knocked off the defending National Champion, Christopher Newport Captains, in the Elite Eight on penalty kicks to punch their ticket to Salem. The Marlins hold an 18-2-4 overall record. They fell to Lynchburg in the ODAC Championship Game in penalty kicks, but earned a much-deserved sport in the NCAA Tournament as an at-large team.
 
The Marlins hosted the opening weekend, shutting out Puget Sound (3-0) and Rowan (1-0) before taking on a brutal sectional at Christopher Newport. The Marlins earned a 2-1 victory over Wisconsin-La Crosse before battling to a 0-0 draw with Christopher Newport and advancing 4-3 on penalty kicks. The Marlins have allowed just 10 goals on the season for a 0.41 GAA, the 11st lowest mark in the country. Their save percentage of 0.925 is the top mark in Division III with Rachel Quigley making 112 saves while allowing just 10 goals.
 
Players to Watch
    #33 Shyenne Diaz – 13 goals, 2 assists, 28 points, 6 game-winning goals, 84 shots
    #32 Alexis Miller – 7 goals, 9 assists, 23 points, 3 game-winning goals, 58 shots
    #0 Rachel Quigley – 0.45 GAA, 112 saves, 0.918 save percentage, 17-2-4 record
 
History Against Messiah
The Falcons and Marlins have met seven times in their program's history. Messiah owns a 7-0-0 record against Virginia Wesleyan, including a 1-0 overtime victory in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament last season. Messiah has outscored the Marlins 20-4 in their seven meetings.

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