CHESTER, Pa. - Facing an 8-5 deficit after 24 minutes of play, the No. 15 Messiah women's lacrosse team scored seven-straight goals to take a 12-8 advantage against the Widener Pride. In the third-quarter alone, Messiah netted five tallies while holding the Pride scoreless en route to a 14-10 victory over Widener.
 
The Falcons were led offensively by Rachel Delate's four goals and three assists while Abigail Evans and Amanda Wadsworth each netted three goals apiece.
 
A total of seven different Falcons collected points on the afternoon as the Falcons improved to 9-3 on the season and 3-0 in the MAC Commonwealth. Messiah will be back in action on Wednesday when they host the Stevenson Mustangs at 4:00 p.m. on the Lacrosse Turf.
 
First Half
The first quarter was a busy one as the Falcons and Pride combined for 10 goals in the 15 minutes of play. Each team netted five goals to knot the score at 5-5 heading to the second. Grace Gormley got the Falcons on the board first with a goal less than a minute into play to go up 1-0. After Widener scored back-to-back tallies and took a 2-1 lead, Messiah rattled off four straight goals to go up 5-2 with less than five minutes to go in the first quarter.
 
That four-goal streak came with tallies from Amanda Wadsworth, Rachel Delate, Abigail Evans and Emma Lytle. The Pride answered right back with three straight goals of their own to tie the game at 5-5 headed into the second quarter.
 
Widener picked up where they left off, adding another three goals to their run to take an 8-5 lead with six and half minutes to go in the half. Delate and Wadsworth would each score one more time before the break as Messiah cut the deficit to 8-7 heading into halftime.
 
Second Half
Messiah dominated the third quarter with five straight goals to take a 12-8 lead into the final period of play. During that 15-minute period, Messiah's Heather Burnham made four saves while holding the Pride scoreless. Makenzie Schnur, Wadsworth and Evans each scored once during the third quarter while Rachel Delate connected on a pair of scores.
 
Heading to the fourth quarter, Messiah held a 12-8 lead and maintained that four-goal advantage through the final 15 minutes of play. The period saw each team connect for two goals to finish the game with a score of 14-10 in favor of Messiah. Gormley and Evans each tallied in the final quarter to lift the Falcons to their third-straight conference win to begin the conference slate.
 
What's Up Next
The Falcons will host the Stevenson Mustangs on Wednesday afternoon at 4:00 p.m. on the Lacrosse Turf in Grantham, Pa.