ST DAVIS, Pa. – The No. 5 Messiah women's soccer team battled the elements as well as the Eastern Eagles on Saturday afternoon in St. Davids, emerging victorious by a 3-1 final score. The Falcons netted one goal in the opening half off the foot of Kierstyn Fogle, before taking a 3-0 lead with tallies from Lydia Ring and Hannah Adair. While Eastern capped off the scoring late in the match, Messiah claimed the 3-1 victory to move to 11-2-0 on the season and 3-0-0 in the MAC Commonwealth.
 
The Falcons controlled the match, holding a 25-4 advantage in shots, while putting 16 attempts on frame against just three from the Eagles.
 
Messiah will be back in action on Tuesday evening when they host the Hood Blazers at 7:00 p.m. on Shoemaker Field in a conference tilt.
 
How It Happened
The Falcons held possession in the Eagles' defensive end for the bulk of the opening half, peppering the Eastern defense with shots. The Falcons attempted 10 shots in the first half hour of the match before breaking through in the 32nd minute off the foot of Kierstyn Fogle. After an Eastern goal kick was won by Messiah, the Falcons quickly pushed forward with Hannah Adair hustling after a feed over top the Eastern defense to get in on goal. Adair and the Eagles' keeper met the ball at the same moment with possession squirting over the Fogle on the right-side of the box. Fogle wasted no time depositing the ball into the back of an empty net and putting Messiah on the board 1-0.
 
Two shots on goal late in the half by Brittany Laird and Molly Adams were saved, but Messiah held a 1-0 lead at the half.
 
Messiah would add to their lead in the 52nd minute when Bella Touzeau held possession on the far sideline on the left. With space in front of her, Touzeau pushed forward, getting all the way to the endline and cutting into the box. With a defender closing in on her, Touzeau slipped a pass to the center of the box where two Falcons and an Eastern defender all descended on the pass. Lydia Ring was the first to it, roofing her shot into the top of the net and putting Messiah up 2-0 just seven minutes into the second half.
 
In the 69th minute, that lead became 3-0 when Hannah Adair took control of a loose ball on the right side of the box. After working her way through two defenders, Adair found space to unleash a hard shot with her right foot that eluded the keeper's hands for the three-goal advantage.
 
Eastern would score in the 76th minute off a corner kick, but it was not enough as the Falcons claimed the 3-1 victory to improve to 11-2-0 on the season and 3-0-0 in the conference.
 
What's Up Next
The Falcons will continue conference play this Tuesday when they host the Hood Blazers at 7:00 p.m. on Oct. 17 on Shoemaker Field. The Blazers are currently 3-8-3 on the season and 0-1-2 in the conference.