GRANTHAM, Pa. – The fifth-ranked Messiah University women's soccer team was selected to host the Sectionals Weekend of the NCAA tournament after two wins in the Opening Weekend of the NCAA Tournament last weekend. The Falcons will welcome in three teams to Grantham for this weekend's Sectional games. The No. 4 Amherst College Mammoths, John Carroll Blue Streaks, and the No. 14 MIT Engineers, will make the trip, with Messiah taking on No. 4 Amherst on Saturday, Nov. 18 at 11:00 a.m. MIT and John Carroll will follow the Messiah game with kickoff scheduled for 1:30 p.m. on Anderson Field.
The winners of Saturday's games will then meet on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. in the NCAA Elite Eight for a spot in the Final Four on the line.
Fans should note that since this is an NCAA Tournament event, tickets are required for all fans. The pricing for tickets are as follows: Adults: $6, Senior Citizens - $3, Students (valid ID) - $3, and Children - $2, Children under 3 – FREE. Thanks to a generous donor all Messiah students with a valid ID will be free of charge.
See below for a quick preview of the four teams competing in the first two rounds at Messiah.
No. 5 Messiah Falcons
19-2-0, 7-0-0 MAC Commonwealth
MAC Commonwealth Champions
Team Homepage | Roster | Schedule | Stats
Location: Grantham, Pa.
Coach: Scott Frey (23rd season, 477-31-33 with the Falcons)
NCAA Tournament Appearance: 23rd (76-11-11 Tournament Record)
Best NCAA Tournament Finish: Six-Time National Champions (2005, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2019)
The Falcons enter their the Sweet Sixteen with a 19-2 overall record on the season. The Falcons entered the tournament on a hot streak winning their last 13 games on the season, including a 4-1 win over York in the MAC Commonwealth Championship game to earn an automatic bid. During the 15-game winning streak, the Falcons have been dominant, outscoring their opponents 53-4.
The Falcons offense this season has come from a variety of players, with nine players totaling 10 points or more on the season. The Falcons have totaled 59 goals on the season and have averaged 3.10 goals per game, which ranks 24th in the nation. Even with a strong offense, the Falcons defense shined throughout the season. The Falcons defense gave up only nine goals all season, which was ranked eighth in the country. The Falcons also had 14 shutouts all season that ranked tied for eighth in the nation.
Players to Watch
#10 Hannah Adair – 11 goals, 4 assists, 26 points, 6 game-winning goals, 83 shots
#11 Brittany Laird – 10 goals, 2 assists, 22 points, 2 game-winning goals, 41 shots
#5 Julia Martin – 7 goals, 5 assists, 19 points, 2 game-winning goals, 31 shots
#18 Kristina Akselsen – 6 goals, 4 assists, 16 points, 3 game-winning goals, 48 shots
#9 Kaitlyn Laird – 5 goals, 4 assists, 14 points, 1 game-winning goal, 52 shots
#0 Ava Wert – 0.22 goals-against average, 20 saves, .870 sv. pct., 6 shutouts
How We Got Here
The Falcons hosted the Opening Weekend and came away with two wins on the weekend. The Falcons opened the tournament with a dominant 5-1 win over Westfield St. in the first round. Brittany Laird led the Falcons with two goals. After the Falcons opening round win, the Falcons then faced No. 13 Williams in the second round. In a tight defensive battle, the Falcons used a goal from Hannah Adair in the 87th minute to advance to the Sectional Weekend.
No. 4 Amherst Mammoths
18-1-1, 8-1-1 NESCAC
New England Small College Athletic Conference Champions
Team Homepage | Roster | Schedule | Stats
Location: Amherst, Mass.
Coach: Jen Hughes (19th season, 245-65-36 with the Mammoths)
NCAA Tournament Appearance: 21st (36-15-5 Tournament Record)
Best NCAA Tournament Finish: 2001 National Runner-Up
The fourth-ranked Mammoths of Amherst are entering the Sectional Weekend with an 18-1-1 overall record. The Mammoths navigated a tough NESCAC schedule and finished with an 8-1-1 record in conference play during the season. Amherst earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament with a 2-1 win over No. 22 Bowdoin in the NESCAC Championship game. Amherst enters the Sectional Weekend on an 11-game winning streak.
The Amherst offense has totaled 66 goals on the season. The Mammoths have several weapons on offense with eight players with 10 or more points on the season. The Mammoths are 17th in the country with 3.30 goals per game. The Mammoths offense is led by NESCAC First-Team forwards Patience Kum and Abby Schwartz. The Mammoth's defense was also very impressive all season allowing only 10 goals through 20 games, which ranks tied for 15th in the country. The shutdown defense for Amherst totaled 13 shutouts on the season, which is tied for 14th in the country. The back line for the Mammoths is led by NESCAC Defensive Player of the Year, Charlotte Huang.
Players to Watch
#3 Patience Kum – 14 goals, 5 assists, 33 points, 6 game-winning goals, 42 shots
#2 Abby Schwartz – 10 goals, 6 assists, 26 points, 4 game-winning goals, 66 shots
#19 Fiona Bernet – 7 goals, 5 assists, 19 points, 3 game-winning goals, 21 shots
#9 Liza Katz – 3 goals, 10 assists, 16 points, 25 shots
#5 Precious Novidzro – 6 goals, 3 assists, 15 points, 3 game-winning goals, 47 shots
#00 Mika Fisher – 0.94 goals-against average, 30 saves, .769 sv. pct., 1 shutout
How They Got Here
The Mammoths traveled to Babson for the Opening Weekend of the NCAA Tournament. The Mammoths had a dominant 5-0 win over Maine Maritime Academy in the Opening Round. Amherst had five different goal scorers score and outshot the Mariners 44-4. In the Second Round, the Mammoths had another convincing win with a 3-1 win over RIT. The Mammoths offense had three different goal scorers before RIT scored a late goal in the 89th minute.
History Against Messiah
The Falcons and Mammoths have only met twice all-time. The Falcons are 2-0-0 against the Mammoths with the last matchup happening in the 2013 season in the NCAA Second Round. Messiah defeated Amherst 2-0. The Falcons in 2013 went on to the Sectional Semifinal game before falling to Ithaca, 1-0 in overtime.
No. 14 Massachusetts Institute of Technology Engineers
21-3-1, 10-1-0 NEWMAC
New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference Champions
Team Homepage | Roster | Schedule | Stats
Location: Cambridge, Mass.
Coach: Martin Desmarais (15th season, 231-60-35 with the Engineers)
NCAA Tournament Appearance: 12th (12-7-5 Tournament Record)
Best NCAA Tournament Finish: 2021 Elite Eight
The fourteenth-ranked Engineers of the MIT enters the Sectional Weekend with an overall record of 21-3-1. The Engineers earned an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament with a dominant 5-0 win over Babson College in the NEWMAC Championship game. The Engineers enter the Sectional Weekend with a seven-game winning streak and have won 16 of their last 18 games.
The Engineer offense totaled 75 goals on the season for three goals per game. The MIT offense spread the wealth with nine players totaling 10 points or more. The MIT offense ranks 26th in the country with three goals per game. The Engineer offense is led by NEWMAC Player of the Year Megan Rowlett, who finished the year with 46 points. The Engineer defense allowed only 18 goals all season and enters this weekend with 13 shutouts on the season. The Engineer back line is led by NEWMAC Defensive Player of the Year, Julia Chen.
Players to Watch
#9 Megan Rowlett – 18 goals, 10 assists, 46 points, 6 game-winning goals, 105 shots
#8 Natalie Barnouw – 10 goals, 7 assists, 27 points, 3 game-winning goals, 51 shots
#17 Ashley English – 9 goals, 5 assists, 23 points, 1 game-winning goal, 63 shots
#2 Sean Luk – 4 goals, 6 assists, 14 points, 1 game-winning goal, 43 shots
#28 Katherine Ruan – 6 goals, 2 assists, 14 points, 1 game-winning goals, 31 shots
#1 Morgan Everett – 0.79 goals-against average, 74 saves, .813 sv. pct., 10 shutouts
How They Got Here
The Engineers hosted the Opening Weekend of the NCAA Tournament. MIT defeated the College of Mount Saint Vincent, 3-1 to advance to the Second Round. The Engineers scored two goals in the second half to take a 3-1 lead. The Engineers then defeated the University of Southern Maine, 4-1. After the Huskies took, an early lead the Engineers score four second-half goals to advance to the Sectional Weekend
History Against Messiah
The Falcons and Engineers have met twice all-time. The Falcons are 2-0 versus the Engineers, with the most recent matchup in 2017. Messiah defeated MIT, 5-0 in the Sectional Semifinals, before falling to TCNJ in PK's in the Sectional Final.
John Carroll Blue Streaks
15-1-5, 8-0-1 Ohio Athletic Conference
Ohio Athletic Conference Champions
Team Homepage | Roster | Schedule | Stats
Location: University Heights, Ohio
Coach: Michael Marich (12th season, 108-89-34 with the Blue Streaks)
NCAA Tournament Appearance: 2nd (2-1-0 Tournament Record)
Best NCAA Tournament Finish: 2001 First Round
The Blue Streaks enter the Sectional Weekend with an 15-1-5 overall record. The Blue Streaks earned an automatic bid into the NCAA tournament with a 2-1 win over Ohio Northern in the OAC Championship game. The Blue Streaks enter the Sectional Weekend on a three-game winning streak but have not lost a game since the first game of the season against No. 8 Case Western Reserve University.
The Blue Streaks offense this season totaled 38 goals. John Carroll had four players with 10 or more points on the season. The John Carroll offense is led by First Team All-OAC forward, Madyson Rosado, who finished with 28 points. The Blue Streaks defense have allowed only 15 goals on the season. The Blue Streaks have eight shutouts on the season. The Blue Streaks defense is led by OAC Goalkeeper of the Year and OAC Freshman of the Year Martin Kosier.
Players to Watch
#11 Madyson Rosado – 13 goals, 2 assists, 28 points, 4 game-winning goals, 57 shots
#10 Emily Patrzyk – 9 goals, 3 assists, 21 points, 5 game-winning goals, 95 shots
#17 Emma West – 4 goals, 3 assists, 11 points, 2 game-winning goals, 12 shots
#30 Sara Gennuso – 4 goals, 2 assists, 10 points, 1 game-winning goal, 33 shots
#5 Abby Smith – 2 goals, 4 assists, 8 points, 22 shots
#0 Martin Kosier – 0.71 goals-against average, 120 saves, .889 sv. pct., 9 shutouts
How They Got Here
The Blue Streaks traveled to Case Western for the Opening Weekend of the NCAA Tournament. In the Opening round, the Blue Streaks defeated Cortland, 3-0 for the first NCAA Tournament win in program history. John Carroll scored a goal in the sixth minute and two more in the second half to defeat the Red Dragons. John Carroll then avenged their only loss on the season with a 1-0 win over Case Western in the Second Round. Abby Walker scored the game-winner in the 26th minute and Martin Kosier made 14 saves to advance to the Sectional Weekend for the first time in program history.
History Against Messiah
Messiah and John Carroll have never met before in women's soccer.
