GRANTHAM, Pa. - The No. 2 Messiah women's soccer team escaped their match with the Dickinson Red Devils with a 1-0 victory on Wednesday night on Shoemaker Field.
Rachael Tirjan connected for a tally in the 76th minute for the evening's lone score. In the victory, Messiah outshot the Red Devils 10-3, putting four attempts on target against just one for Dickinson. The Falcons registered four shots in the opening period before attempting six after the break. Dickinson took all three of their shots in the second half.
With the victory, Messiah improves to 7-0-2 on the season and will be back in action on Homecoming when they Salisbury Sea Gulls at 3:00 p.m. on Shoemaker Field.
Scoreless First Half
Neither the Falcons nor the Red Devils could find the back of the net in the opening half of Wednesday night's game. Messiah attempted all four of the shots in the first half, keeping the Red Devils without shot through the first 45 minutes.
The Falcons also earned four corner kicks in the period.
Messiah earned a pair of corner kicks in the 14th minute, but were unable to make anything of them. In the 24th minute,
Shelby Burger attempted the first shot of the evening, sending her strike high and wide. An attempt from Kenzie Spodik in the 26th minute also missed wide while two shots from
Bella Touzeau sailed off target in the 35th and 37th minutes.
The period ended 0-0 as the teams regrouped prior to the second half.
Attempts Go On Frame
Messiah sent a pair of shots on frame in the 53rd and 55th minutes, but Dickinson keeper Sophia Kavulich stopped shots from
Kristina Akselsen and
Julia Martin to keep the match scoreless.
In the 73rd minute, Dickinson's Maddie Amand put the Red Devils' first attempt on frame.
Ava Wert was there for her lone save of the evening.
Tirjan Tally
Just moments later,
Rachael Tirjan found the moment that the Falcons had been looking for. In the 76th minute, Tirjan picked up the ball on the right side well outside the box. She pushed to the end line. Her defender went to shield her off the ball, but fell to the ground in the process. This allowed Tirjan to take a quick strike toward the near post. The keeper was caught off guard by the pace of the shot. It bounced off her hip and into the side netting for a 1-0 Messiah lead.
That was all the Falcons would need as they earned the 1-0 victory.
What's Up Next
Messiah will stay at home and take on the Salisbury Sea Gulls on Saturday afternoon at 3:00 p.m. for their annual Homecoming Game. The Sea Gulls are 6-4 on the season. Messiah owns an all-time record of 10-2-0 against Salisbury, including victories in their last 10 meetings.
