GRANTHAM, Pa. – The Messiah women's lacrosse team will host the Stevenson Mustangs in the MAC Commonwealth Semifinals on Wednesday afternoon at 5:00 p.m. with a spot in the MAC Commonwealth Championship Game on the line. The Falcons are looking to repeat as Champions after they claimed the 2021 MAC Commonwealth Championship with a 17-10 victory over the York Spartans last season.
York earned the top seed in this season's tournament and will host the fifth-seeded Lebanon Valley Dutchmen in the other semifinal game on Wednesday as well. The Dutchmen defeated the No. 4 Widener Pride in the MAC Commonwealth Play-In Game on Monday by a 12-11 final score.
The Conference Championship Game will be played on the higher seeded team's home field on Saturday.
Please note that all MAC Tournament events are ticketed with the prices as follows: Adults - $5 | Senior Citizens - $4 | Students - $2 | Children (under 6) - FREE. All tickets will be available for purchase on gameday at the gate.
See below for a quick preview of Wednesday's Semifinal:
No. 2 Messiah University Falcons – 13-4 overall, 7-1 conference
After a 3-3 start to the season, Messiah rebounded with strong play through their conference slate and down the stretch, winning 10 of their final 11 games in the regular season. That stretch including non-conference victories over SUNY Cortland and Christopher Newport. Messiah's only blemish in their conference slate was a loss against York, who earned the top seed in the Conference Tournament.
On the season, Messiah owns the second leading offense in the conference with 235 goals on the season in 17 games for a 13.82 per game average. On the other side of the field, the Falcons' defense in third in the conference, allowing just 156 goals for a 9.17 average.
Players to Watch
#13 –
Rachel Delate – Jr. – Attack – 61 goals, 22 assists, 83 points, 42 draw controls, 20 ground balls
#10 –
Grace Gormley – Jr. – Midfield – 26 goals, 6 assists, 32 points, 46 ground balls, 19 caused turnovers, 69 draw controls
#22 –
Emma Lytle – Jr. – Attack – 33 goals, 11 assists, 44 points, 18 ground balls
#25 –
Mackenzie O'Haver – So. – Goalie – 9.15 GAA, 100 saves, .481 save percentage, 11-3 record
No. 3 Stevenson University Mustangs – 11-6 overall, 6-2 conference
The Mustangs started their season with losses against some of the top teams in the country, including Salisbury, Gettysburg, and Washington in their first three games. Stevenson rebounded with a victory over then No. 4 St. Johns Fisher by an 11-10 final that started an 11-3 stretch over their final 14 games to end the regular season with an 11-6 record. The Mustangs went 6-2 in conference play, with losses to York (16-6) and Messiah (15-9) as their only blemishes in the MAC Commonwealth.
Stevenson's offense and defense were both middle of the pack in the conference this season with their offense scoring 13.06 goals per game (fifth in the conference) and their defense allowing 11.06 (fourth fewest in the conference).
Players To Watch
#2 – Caroline Murphy – Sr. – Attack – 54 goals, 24 assists, 78 points, 41 draw controls
#3 – McKenna Blick – Sr. – Attack – 48 goals, 18 assists, 66 points, 52 draw controls, 24 ground balls
#11 – LanLe Crotty – Sr. – Attack – 22 goals, 22 assists, 44 points
#98 – Sophie Shucosky – Sr. – Goalie – 11.72 GAA, 151 saves, .456 save percentage, 11-6 record
When They Met
The Falcons and Mustangs squared off on Apr. 13 with both teams bosting 3-0 conference records. Messiah earned a 15-9 victory, thanks in part to six fourth-quarter goals that put away Stevenson.
Rachel Delate finished with a game-high seven points off of six goals and an assist while Caroline Murphy netted three goals and added three points for Stevenson.
It was a tight battle throughout the first three quarters with Messiah holding a slim 9-7 lead heading to the fourth, but the Falcons outscored Stevenson 6-2 in the final period to earn the six-goal victory.
Messiah outshot Stevenson 39-26 in the game, but it was the Mustangs with a 16-12 edge on the draw control.
Messiah's Championship History
The Falcons are making their 19th appearance in the Conference Championship Tournament with eight conference crowns to their name. The Falcons are the defending Champions and have earned Conference Titles in five of the last six seasons the Championship was contested. Additionally, they have finished as the runners-up on three occasions for 11 total trips to the Conference Championship Game. Overall, the Falcons are 20-10 in the Tournament and hold a 19-4 record in Grantham.
