GRANTHAM, Pa. – The No. 14 Messiah women's lacrosse team topped visiting Stevenson University, 15-9, at the Lacrosse turf on Wednesday afternoon to improve to 10-3 (4-0 MAC Commonwealth) on the season. Rachel Delate tallied a game-high six goals as a total of seven Falcons contributed goals. Mackenzie O'Haver performed well in goal, recording 11 saves to earn her eighth win of the season.
 
Delate, the reigning MAC Commonwealth Offensive Player of the Week, has scored 16 goals in the last three contests. Her game-high mark was the seventh-consecutive game of scoring at least three goals.
 
In the win, Emma Lytle contributed lasting offensive impacts, scoring four goals, matching a season-high mark.
 
The opening draw control was won by the Mustangs, eventually resulting in a shot on goal that was saved by Messiah goalkeeper O'Haver. Stevenson continued its early offensive pressure, taking advantage of a turnover to convert a free-position shot to take a 1-0 lead at the 12:55 mark. The Falcons did not wait long to draw even in the opening quarter as Lytle recorded the team's first tally, leveling the score at 1-1 with 10:15 left on the clock.
 
The Mustangs recorded back-to-back goals to jump out to a 3-1 advantage before O'Haver made her third save of the game, prompting a Messiah goal in transition. Grace Gormley picked up the ground ball, sprinting full-field and dumping a pass off to Delate for the easy finish. The remainder of the quarter was scoreless as the Falcons trailed the Mustangs entering the second quarter, 3-2.
 
O'Haver had a phenomenal opening quarter of action, recording five saves to keep Messiah within a one-goal deficit.
 
Delate equalized the score at 3-3 just 2:51 into the second quarter, the junior attacker's 44th tally of the season. The Falcons' earned their first lead of the contest just 40 seconds later as Delate completed her hat trick, capitalizing on a free-position opportunity.
 
Messiah kept scoring as Lytle issued consecutive goals to grow the Falcons' lead to 6-4. Lytle's third goal of the game, dodging traffic in front of the cage and scoring on a bouncing effort, was her 25th goal of the season. Stevenson had a quick answer, scoring on spectacular transition play to pull within one goal (6-5) with 4:48 left in the half.
 
Gormley added her first goal of the game with just nine ticks left on the first-half clock, assisted by Abigail Evans to give Messiah a 7-5 lead. Both goalkeepers were stellar in the first half as O'Haver tallied seven saves while the Mustangs' Sophie Shucosky recorded six saves.
 
The two sides traded goals in the opening five minutes of the second half as Evans added her name to the scoresheet at the 10:10 mark following a free-position tally. Delate notched her game-high fourth goal of the game on a free-position shot with 8:26 remaining in the third quarter, growing the Falcons' lead to 9-6. The Mustangs earned their seventh goal of the game to pull within a two-goal deficit (9-7), proving to be the final goal of the period. Stevenson struck the goalpost on a shot with just 18 seconds left in the quarter as Messiah entered the final quarter of play leading, 9-7.
 
Ehryn Groothoff, at the 11:54 mark of the fourth quarter, scored a woman-up goal to give the Falcons a three-goal lead (10-7). The Falcons continued their momentum, adding another tally through Delate's fifth goal of the game with 8:40 left on the clock. The goal gave Messiah its largest lead of the game, a four-goal, 11-7 advantage.
 
Following a Stevenson goal at the 8:22 mark, Amanda Wadsworth became the sixth Falcon to tally a goal. The goal, an unassisted effort, restored Messiah's three-goal lead (11-8) with just 7:39 remaining.
 
Messiah ran away with the conference victory, scoring three unanswered goals in the final three minutes of play to earn the 15-9 decision.
 
The Falcons outshot the Mustangs, 39-26, issuing their conference rivals their first conference loss of the season. The win improves Messiah's MAC Commonwealth record to a perfect 4-0.
 
What's Next
Messiah clashes with conference rival York College (Pa.) at home next Wednesday, Apr. 20, at 4:00 PM.