GRANTHAM, Pa. – The Messiah University women's lacrosse team earned the second seed in the 2024 MAC Commonwealth Tournament. The Falcons open the tournament hosting the third-seeded Mustangs of Stevenson University on Wednesday, May 1 at 4:00 p.m. The Falcons and Mustangs will meet with a trip to the conference championship game on the line.
The top-seeded York Spartans and the fourth-seeded Pride of Widener University will play in the other MAC Commonwealth Semifinal game. The winners of each game will face off in the MAC Commonwealth Championship on Saturday, May 4, with the highest seed remaining hosting the game.
Messiah is making its 21st appearance in program history in the conference tournament. The Falcons are looking to make their 13th conference championship game and are seeking their ninth conference championship.
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: $8, Seniors (65+) and Youth (7-17): $6, MAC Students with ID and children under six: FREE.
Check below for a preview of the Women's Lacrosse MAC Commonwealth Tournament
No. 2 Messiah University Falcons
The Messiah University women's lacrosse team earned the second seed with an 8-9 overall record and a 6-1 record in MAC Commonwealth play. The Falcons played a strong schedule to open the season with six games against current top-25 teams in their first nine games. The Falcons finished the season strong with a 6-1 record in their final seven games to earn the second seed. The Falcons rank third in the MAC Commonwealth in points per game (17.00), goals per game (11.82), and assists per game (5.18).
Players to Watch
#21
Grace Pettitt – 70 points, 28 goals, 42 assists, three free-position goals
#6
Hayley Lettinga – 63 points, 55 goals, eight assists, 10 free-position goals, 20 CT
#14
Hannah Gawne – 36 points, 24 goals, 12 assists, 10 free-position goals, 52 DC
#11
Emma Hagg – 29 caused turnovers, 38 ground balls, 48 draw controls
#25
Mackenzie O'Haver – 11.24 GAA, 98 saves, .394 sv. percentage, 7-8 record
No. 3 Stevenson University Mustangs
The Stevenson University Mustangs earned the third seed with an 11-6 overall record and a 5-2 record in MAC Commonwealth play. The Mustangs finished the season strong with a 9-2 record in their final 11 games. Stevenson finished the year with a 4-3 record in games away from home. Stevenson ranks first in the MAC Commonwealth in points per game (20.29), goals per game (13.76), and assists per game (6.53).
This Season Against Messiah
The Falcons and Mustangs met on April 20 in a matchup that ended up deciding home field advantage for the MAC Commonwealth Semifinals. The Falcons defeated the Mustangs 15-12, with the Falcons using five goals in the fourth quarter to pull away from the Mustangs.
Grace Pettitt and
Hayley Lettinga led the Falcons with 11 points total.
No. 1 York College Spartans
The York College Spartans earned the top seed in the MAC Commonwealth Tournament with an 11-6 overall record and a 7-0 record in MAC Commonwealth play. The Spartans navigated a tough schedule to open the season with all of their first nine opponents being ranked in the top-25 or were receiving votes. The Spartans enter the conference tournament on fire with eight straight wins. The Spartans offense finished the regular season ranked second in the MAC Commonwealth in points per game (18.94), goals per game (13.35), and assists per game (5.59).
This Season Against Messiah
The Spartans and Falcons met in the regular season finale with a the top seed in the MAC Commonwealth Tournament on the line. The Spartans prevailed with a 14-6 win.
Hayley Lettinga led the Falcons with two goals.
No. 4 Widener University Pride
The Widener University Pride earned the fourth seed with an 8-9 overall record and a 4-3 record in MAC Commonwealth play. The Pride earned the fourth seed by defeating every other MAC Commonwealth opponent, other than the top three seeds. The Pride finish the season with a 5-4 record on the road. The Widener defense caused the second most turnovers in the MAC Commonwealth with 165.
This Season Against Messiah
The Falcons and Pride met on April 17. The Falcons cruised to a 15-7 win, with a massive fourth quarter run allowing the Falcons to pull away in the game.
Grace Pettitt led the Falcons with three goals and three assists.
Hayley Lettinga added two goals and three assists.
