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Women's Soccer Hosts Eastern in MAC Commonwealth Semifinal

10/30/2023 3:30:00 PM

GRANTHAM, Pa. - The top-seeded Messiah women's soccer team will open the MAC Commonwealth Tournament on Tuesday night when they host the fourth-seeded Eastern Eagles on Shoemaker Field at 7:00 p.m. The Falcons and Eagles meeting will come in the Conference Semifinals with a trip to the Conference Championship Game on the line.

Second-seeded York will host the Widener Pride in the other semifinal match on Tuesday night with the winner's meeting in the MAC Commonwealth Championship on Saturday, hosted by the highest seed. 

Messiah will be looking their 20th Conference Championship in program history, the previous 19 have all come since 2000. The Falcons have also appeared in every Conference Championship Game since Scott Frey became the head coach, a streak that has spanned 22 seasons. The Falcons are 19-3 in their previous 22 title games with Frey at the helm.

Fans should note that since this is a Middle Atlantic Conference Postseason Tournament, tickets are required for all fans. The pricing for tickets are as follows: Adults: $5, Senior Citizens: $4, Students (Valid ID) and Children" $2, and Children under 6: FREE. Thanks to a generous donor, the first 100 Messiah students at all MAC Commonwealth Tournament games this week will get in free.

No. 1 Messiah Falcons

15-2-0 Overall, 7-0-0 MAC Commonwealth
Team Homepage  |  Schedule  |  Roster  |  Stats

The fifth-ranked Falcons finished the 2023 season with 15-2-0 record and a 7-0-0 in MAC Commonwealth play. The Falcons opened the season with four straight wins before suffering back-to-back losses. Messiah did not let the two straight losses faze them with an 11-game winning streak to end the season. The Falcons are 6-1 at Shoemaker Field this season. 

The Falcons look for their fifth straight MAC Commonwealth Championship. Messiah has appeared in 22 straight MAC Commonwealth Championship games. The Falcons have also appeared in the last eight MAC Commonwealth Championships with a 6-2 record. Messiah defeated York in the 2022 MAC Commonwealth Championship game, 2-0. 

Players to Watch

  • #10 Hannah Adair - 8 goals, 3 assists, 62 shots, 4 GWG
  • #11 Brittany Laird - 8 goals, 2 assists, 33 shots, 2 GWG
  • #5 Julia Martin - 5 goals, 5 assists, 24 shots, 1 GWG
  • #18 Kristinia Akselsen - 6 goals, 2 assists, 40 shots, 3 GWG
  • #13 Bella Touzeau - 2 goals, 10 assists, 20 shots, 1 GWG
  • #23 Jenna Skurcenski - 17 GP, 17 starts, 2022 First-Team All American
  • #0 Ava Wert - 0.29 GAA, 17 saves, 0.850 sv. pct., 4 SO

No. 4 Eastern Eagles

4-6-6 Overall, 3-2-2 MAC Commonwealth
Team Homepage  |  Schedule  |  Roster  |  Stats

The Eagles finished the season with a 4-6-6 record with a 3-2-2 record in MAC Commonwealth play. Eastern had a tough start to the season with a 1-4-2 record in the Eagles first seven games. The Eagles turned the season around and finished with a 3-2-4 record to earn the fourth seed. The Eagles are making their first postseason appearance since 2017 when they lost to Wilkes University in the Semifinals of the MAC Freedom Tournament. 

Players to Watch

  • #13 Madelyn Mullen - 4 goals, 3 assists, 33 shots, 2 GWG
  • #31 Emma Bennett - 2 goals, 1 assist, 16 shots
  • #19 Sydney Koncsol - 2 goals, 23 shots
  • #0 Faith Leake - 1.26 GAA, 68 saves, .840 sv. pct., 2 SO


When We Met

Messiah played at Eastern University on Saturday Oct. 14. The Falcons defeated the Eagles 3-1. The Falcons scored one first-half goal and added two more goals in the second half to lead them to the win. Kierstyn Fogle, Lydia Ring, and Hannah Adair scored the goals for the Falcons. Kelly Lyons scored the lone goal for the Eagles. The Falcons outshot the Eagles 25-4. 

No. 2 York Spartans

12-6-0 Overall, 6-1-0 MAC Commonwealth
Team Homepage  |  Schedule  |  Roster  |  Stats

The Spartans finished the season with a 12-6-0 record with a 6-1 record in MAC Commonwealth play. The Spartans faced a tough schedule to start with a 2-4 record in their first six games. York then rattled off a six-game winning streak before falling to then #21 Misericordia. The Spartans finished the season with a 4-1 record in their final five games with the lone loss coming to Messiah. The Spartans played better on the road this season with an 8-2 record, compared to a 4-4 record at home. The Spartans made it to the MAC Commonwealth Championship in 2021 and 2022, both times losing to Messiah. 

Players to Watch

  • #9 Meg Kalthof - 9 goals, 5 assists, 39 shots, 2 GWG
  • #12 Ashlynn Weger - 5 goals, 4 assists, 32 shots, 3GWG
  • #27 Morgan Joyce - 5 goals, 15 shots, 3 GWG
  • #8 Olivia Dingman - 3 goals, 1 assist, 15 shots, 1 GWG
  • #0 Madison O'Brien - 0.90 GAA, 40 saves, .816 sv. pct., 3 SO


When We Met

The Falcons and the Spartans met in the regular season finale on Saturday, Oct. 28 at York. Messiah defeated York 3-0. After a scoreless first half, the Falcons tallied two quick goals from Kristina Akselsen and Brittany Laird in the 57th and 59th minutes, respectively. Kaitlyn Laird added another insurance goal in the 74th minute. The Falcons outshot the Spartans 23-6. 

No. 3 Widener Pride

5-6-6 Overall, 3-2-2 MAC Commonwealth
Team Homepage  |  Schedule  |  Roster  |  Stats

The Pride finished the season with a 5-6-6 record with a 3-2-2 record in MAC Commonwealth play. The Pride started the season without a win in their six six games going 0-2-4. Widener then rattled off two wins before falling in four straight games. The Pride finished the season strong with a 2-0-2 record in their final four games to earn the third seed. Last season the Pride defeated Hood College in PKs to advance to the MAC Commonwealth Semifinals. Widener then fell to Messiah 4-0 in that Semifinal game. 

Players to Watch

  • #2 Alyssa Carman - 4 goals, 45 shots, 2 GWG
  • #29 Kelly Barr - 3 goals, 24 shots, 1 GWG
  • #20 Maggie Boyes - 2 goals, 1 assist, 20 shots, 2 GWG
  • #11 Brynn Foley - 1 goal, 1 assist, 7 shots
  • #1 Samantha Coon - 1.04 GAA, 77 saves, .865 sv. pct., 7 SO


When We Met

The Falcons and the Pride played on Saturday, Oct. 7 at Shoemaker field. Messiah came away with a 2-0 win. The Pride kept the Falcons without a goal in the first half, but the Falcons attack came alive in the second half. Kristina Akselsen scored a goal in the 58th minute and the 69th minute to give the Falcons the win. The Falcons offense was dominant with 28 shots compared to the Pride's one shot. 

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