GRANTHAM, Pa. – The second-seeded Messiah women's lacrosse team fell short to visiting third-seeded Stevenson University, 13-8, in the MAC Commonwealth Semifinals at the Lacrosse Turf on Wednesday afternoon. Despite the loss, junior attacker Rachel Delate recorded a game-high six goals as Grace Gormley and Ehryn Groothoff each tallied a goal.
 
Messiah falls to Stevenson for the first time since Apr. 24, 2019.  
 
In the early going, the Mustangs got on the board first just 1:22 into the contest, but Delate scored her first tally at the 11:58 mark to level the score at 1-1. Stevenson proceeded to build momentum, scoring three-straight goals to own a 4-1 advantage at the end of the opening quarter of play. Despite being outscored by the Mustangs, the Falcons fired off seven shots in the quarter, including a shot that rifled off the crossbar from Delate. Stevenson's Kaitlyn Kozlowski was the star of the quarter, scoring two goals for Stevenson.
 
The Mustangs' defense continued to prevail in the second quarter. Messiah was held scoreless during the second period as Stevenson increased its lead to a four-goal advantage (5-1) with just 21 seconds left in the half.
 
The Falcons finished the half with 12 shots as Stevenson's goalkeeper, Sophie Shucosky, made an impressive seven saves in the cage. Mackenzie O'Haver started in the cage for the Falcons, recording four saves to keep Messiah within a close deficit.
 
With a comfortable four-goal lead, Stevenson continued its offensive momentum in the third quarter. The Mustangs began the second half with four-straight goals, increasing their lead to 9-1. The Falcons got back on the board at the 7:55 mark when Delate tallied her second goal of the game, cutting into their hefty deficit. Delate completed her hat trick with 3:16 left on the third-quarter clock, but Stevenson outscored the Falcons in the quarter, 6-2, to take an 11-3 lead into the final period of play. At the end of the period, Stevenson had outshot Messiah by 10 shots (25-15).
 
Delate began the fourth quarter with her fourth goal of the contest, finding the net just 30 seconds into the period to cut Messiah's deficit to seven goals (11-4). The Falcons, with a sense of urgency, tacked on another goal at the 11:14 mark. Messiah' fifth goal, scored by Delate, was enough to shift the momentum in favor of the Falcons. The next draw control was pivotal, and it was ultimately controlled by the Mustangs. The Falcons held tough as Delate was able to find an opening for a shot at the 7:19 mark, but Shucosky made a quality to save to deny the junior attacker her sixth goal of the game.
 
Messiah kept fighting as Grace Gormley got herself on the scoresheet with 5:15 left on the clock. Delate provided the assist as the Falcons continued to cut into their deficit, trailing 12-6. Gormley won the following draw control, and just seconds later, Delate scored her sixth goal of the game to cut the deficit to five goals.
 
Despite the shift in momentum, Messiah was unable to bring the deficit lower than five goals. The Falcons allowed a goal at the 1:46 mark, but followed with a goal from Ehryn Groothoff just 14 seconds later. Time eventually ran out for Messiah as the visiting Mustangs earned the 13-8 win.
 
Delate, with her six-goal performance, upped her season total in goals to a team-leading 67. O'Haver registered a quality performance in the cage, accumulating eight saves.  
 
What's Next
The Falcons finish the 2022 campaign with a 13-5 overall record.