COLLEGEVILLE, PA - Despite facing a 2-1 deficit at the half, the No. 11 Messiah field hockey team tallied twice in the second-half to earn a 3-2 victory over the Ursinus Bears on Wednesday night. Second-half goals from Kelsey Heltzel and Ashlyn Smith lifted the Falcons to their seventh win of the season. Smith also scored in the first quarter for her third multi-goal game of the season.

With the victory, Messiah improves to 7-2 on the season and will be back in action on Saturday, Oct. 1 at 1:00 p.m. against the Widener Pride for their annual Homecoming Game.

How It Happened
The Bears got on the board first with a score four minutes into the game. Ashlyn Smith evened up the score a couple minutes later with her seventh goal of the year. The score would stay the same until the beginning of the second when Ursinus retook the lead. Despite multiple shots the Falcons could not convert any opportunities and took the one goal deficit into the half. A Heltzel tally early in the third put the score at 2-2. The score would remain knotted at 2-2 heading into the fourth quarter. Two minutes into the fourth quarter, Smith struck again, giving the Falcons a 3-2 advantage. That lead would hold until the final buzzer as Messiah would take the win 3-2. 

In The Box Score
Ashlyn Smith tacked on her seventh and eighth goals of the year while Kelsey Heltzel added her third goal of the year. Malcolm and Womer added assists on the night. Messiah outshot Ursinus 16-10 on the evening while each team had nine corners. 

What's Up Next
The win brings the Falcons record to 7-2 and still sit at 2-0 in the conference. The Falcons will host conference opponent Widener on Saturday, October 1 at 1:00PM. That game will be on Anderson Field in Grantham, Pa.