GRANTHAM, Pa. – After 86 minutes of scoreless play, the No. 5 Messiah women's soccer team found their moment off the foot of Hannah Adair. Playing in the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament on Shoemaker Field against the No. 13 Williams Ephs, Hannah Adair netted the game winner to send the Falcons to the Sweet 16 with a 1-0 victory. Messiah has now qualified for the Second Weekend of the NCAA Tournament on 21 occasions in the last 23 seasons.
 
The Falcons advance to face the Amherst Mammoths in the Sweet 16. The Mammoths were 3-1 winners against RIT in the Second Round to punch their ticket to the second weekend. The location of next weekend's Sweet 16 and Elite Eight has yet to be announced.

Scoreless Start
Sunday's match was a battle waged in the midfield for much of the afternoon. After 45 minutes of play, the Falcons held a slim 4-2 advantage in shots with each team putting just one attempt on frame in the first half. Williams had an attempt by Bria Abbiati in the 18th minute saved by Ava Wert while Hannah Adair had a shot in the 21st minute saved by the Ephs' keeper.
 
Outside of those attempts, neither team really put together quality goal-scoring opportunities in the first half.
 
The scoreless stretch continued into the second half, however Messiah was able to attempt seven shots in the first 17 minutes of the second half against just two from the Ephs. None of those nine shots from the two sides were put on goal and play went back to the midfield.
 
The Falcons had plenty of quality play from their midfield and defensive line, holding the Ephs at bay and controlling play.
 
Adair Converts Her Chance
Messiah finally found their moment in the 87th minute down the left side. Mia Libby picked up possession in the midfield and played a ball forward to Hannah Adair. Adair slipped a pass back to Libby and her defender dropped off of her. Libby went right back to Adair, who moved forward, beating her initial defender and forcing a secondary defender to fall to the turf. On the left-side of the box, Adair unleashed a right-footed strike to the right post that eluded the diving keeper and found the back of the net for the game-winning tally.
 
The score was Adair's 11th of the season and her team-leading sixth game-winning score.
 
Moving On
The Falcons will play in the Sweet 16 next weekend against the No. 4 Amherst Mammoths on Saturday at a time and site to be determined. Fans are encouraged to follow GoMessiah.com in the coming days for a preview of next weekend's action