YORK, Pa. - Kristina Akselsen, Brittany Laird, and Kaitlyn Laird all found the back of the net in the second half as the No. 5 Messiah women's soccer earned a 3-0 victory over the York Spartans on Saturday afternoon. The Falcons and Spartans played a scoreless half, but netted a trio of tallies after the break to clinch the top seed in next week's MAC Commonwealth Tournament.
 
Messiah finishes the regular season with an overall record of 15-2-0 while carrying a perfect 7-0-0 mark through MAC Commonwealth contests. The Falcons advance to the MAC Commonwealth Semifinals on Tuesday night at 7:00 p.m. where they will host the fourth-seeded Eastern Eagles.
 
Scoreless Opening Half
Messiah held a commanding 10-3 advantage in shots across the opening 45 mintues of play, but was unable to find the back of the net in the first half. The Falcons put five attempts on target while Ava Wert was required to make a pair of saves between the pipes to keep the match level at the break.
 
Second-Half Scores
The Falcons would break through in the early portion of the second half with Kristina Akselsen connecting with the right foot in the 57th minute. Akselsen collected a pass from Bella Touzeau near the left sideline and brought possession toward the top corner of the box. With a defender on her back, Akselsen ripped a shot the beat the keeper high and gave Messiah the 1-0 lead.
 
The 1-0 advantage stood for less than two minutes, when Brittany Laird doubled the lead with a score in the 59th minute. After the Falcons earned a free kick in the midfield and quickly pushed possession to Hannah Adair towards the top of the box. Adair lofted a pass over top of the Spartans' back line and to Brittany Laird. After a controlling touch, Laird was able to slip a shot past an oncoming keeper for the 2-0 lead.
 
Kaitlyn Laird capped off the scoring in the 74th minute off a feed from Lydia Ring for her fifth goal of the season. From well outside the box on the right side, Laird ripped a left-footed strike that gave Messiah the 3-0 victory.
 
What's Up Next
As mentioned, the Falcons will turn their attention to the MAC Commonwealth Tournament where they will enter as the top seed after a 7-0-0 record in the conference. The Falcons will take on the fourth seeded Eastern Eagles in the semifinals. The Falcons will host the MAC Commonwealth Semifinal on Tuesday evening at 7:00 p.m. on Shoemaker Field.