GETTYSBURG, Pa. – The No. 5 Messiah women's soccer team scored twice in each half en route to a 4-0 victory over the Gettysburg Bullets on Wednesday night. The Falcons controlled the match, outshooting the Bullets 25-3 with Kaitlyn Laird, Olivia Shuck, Hannah Adair, and Lydia Ring all finding the back of the net in the victory. The victory extends the Falcons' winning streak to seven matches.
 
Messiah moves to 10-2-0 on the season and will be back in action on Saturday when they travel to Eastern to take on the Eagles at 12:00 p.m. in a MAC Commonwealth match.
 
Two Tallies in Opening Half
The Falcons found the back of the net in the 14th minute with Kaitlyn Laird scoring her third goal of the season off a feed from Bella Touzeau. After a long ball forward from Julia Martin hit Laird just outside the box, Laird flipped a ball ahead to Touzeau in the corner. Touzeau kept the feed in and brought possession back toward the sideline, drawing a pair of defenders toward her in the process. With extra help coming toward Touzeau, Laird was left open at the top of the box. Touzeau found Laird with a lofted pass just a set outside the box on the left side. Laird brought the ball to her feet and struck a shot the beat the keeper to her left and gave Messiah a 1-0 lead.
 
In the 42nd minute, Olivia Shuck would connect on the second goal of her career off a keed from Kristina Akselsen. From a very similar spot from Laird before her, Shuck would receive a pass from the midfield from Akselsen at the corner of the box on the left side. With a defender closing in on her, Shuck quickly pulled the trigger on a left-footed strike that beat the keeper to the upper 90 on the right side for a 2-0 Messiah lead heading into halftime.
 
Second-Half Insurance
In the 57th minute, Messiah would add to their lead with a scramble in the box. The Falcons took multiple shots in the span of just a few seconds. After the first two shots were either blocked by the Gettysburg defense or saved by the keeper, the ball fell to the foot of Hannah Adair. After a quick fight for possession with a Gettysburg defender, Adair found the net with Messiah's third goal of the game, give the Falcons a 3-0 lead with just over 30 minutes to play.
 
The Falcons would add their fourth and final goal in the 74th minute off a shot from Lydia Ring inside the box. Thea Neimond sent a pass forward to Ring, who chested the pass down and into the box, past the final defensive line of the Bullets. The touch allowed Ring to get in on goal and while she had a defender on her back, Ring had just enough time to beat the keeper with a right-footed shot. The goal was Ring's second of the second and gave Messiah the 4-0 victory.
 
What's Up Next
The Falcons will be back in action this weekend when they head to Easter University for a MAC Commonwealth match with the Eagles on Saturday afternoon at 12:00 p.m.