COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – A quiet opening quarter saw the No. 14 Messiah women's lacrosse team fall into an early 4-1 hole against the Colorado College Tigers on Monday evening. The Falcons came storming back with a 6-0 second quarter to take a 7-4 leading into the half-time break. After the quick breather, Messiah continued their strong play outscoring the Tigers 10-5 over the final 30 minutes en route to a 17-9 victory to begin a two-game trip to Colorado.
 
In total, it was a 10-2 Messiah run in the second and third quarters that turned a 4-1 deficit into an 11-6 Falcons' lead.
 
Hayley Lettinga led the Falcons with four goals and five points on the day while Rachel Delate scored three tallies and assisted on one other. Four other Falcons added two goals apiece in the victory as Messiah moves to 3-1 on the season. The Falcons will be back in action on Wednesday afternoon when they take on the St. John Fisher Cardinals at 2:00 p.m. MT/4:00 p.m. ET.
 
How It Happened
A quick look at the box score shows a pretty even game between the lines with Messiah and Colorado College neck and neck in most statistical categories. The Falcons held a slim edge in shots (32-31), turnovers (14-17), draw controls (15-14), and ground balls (29-25), but each of the categories were tight. One of the few stats that jumps off the page was the save numbers from the goalies. Between the pipes, Mackenzie O'Haver registered 15 saves while allowing just nine goals. On the other end of the field, the Tigers' Natalie Slade made 11 saves and allowed 17 goals.
 
The Falcons put five more shots on target and O'Haver came up big in goal with a career-high 15 saves.
 
As mentioned, the Falcons fell behind early, chasing a 4-1 lead after 15 minutes of play. The second quarter proved to be the turning point of the game as the Falcons outscored the Tigers 6-0 in the period and took a 7-4 lead. Hayley Lettinga tallied three goals in the period while Rachel Delate scored one and assisted on Lettinga's second of the period. Annalise Keitel and Hope Flack also found the back of the cage in the period.
 
After increasing their lead to 11-6 entering the fourth, the Falcons saw the Tigers cut their advantage to three at 11-8 and then 12-9. Messiah responded with five unanswered goals in the final four minutes to earn the 17-9 victory. Ehryn Groothoff tallied twice for the Falcons in the final stretch.
 
What's Up Next
The Falcons will conclude their Colorado trip on Wednesday when they take on the St. John Fisher Cardinals at 2:00 p.m. MT/4:00 p.m. ET.