GRANTHAM, Pa. – With the 2024 Messiah Field Hockey season beginning on Friday evening, check out the 2024 season preview below.
2023 Season Recap
The Messiah field hockey team finished with a 18-2 record with a 7-0 record in MAC Commonwealth play. The Falcons claimed their 16th straight and 29th all-time conference championship in program history with a 1-0 win over York. After defeating Cortland in the NCAA Second Round, the Falcons fell to eventual National Champions Middlebury in the NCAA Third Round to end the 2023 season.
Roster Outlook
The 2024 Falcons roster mixes a key group of returning players with a talented freshmen class. The offense returns the leading goal scorers in
Carrie Bair and reigning MAC Rookie of the Year,
Aubrey Clark. Also returning to the front line for the Falcons are
Teagan Murrie,
Ellie Lefever, and
Hailey Womer who will be joined by three new Falcons.
Leah Bryner,
Teagan Murrie,
Anna Koenig, and
Kelsey Heltzel look to lead a deep and talented midfield core for the Falcons, adding three new Falcons to the group.
Liz Ong and
Lillian Peters return to lead the back end for Messiah. In the cage, the Falcons will look to fill the gap after standout goalie
Catie Brubaker completed her time with Messiah. Messiah adds a talented group of eight new players that look to add depth and make an immediate impact on the 2024 season.
2024 Schedule Preview
The Falcons open the 2024 season at home versus Dickinson College on Aug. 30 at 7:00 p.m on Anderson Field. The Falcons return to Anderson Field on Wednesday, Sept. 4 for a preseason top 10 matchup against No. 2 Johns Hopkins University at 5:00 p.m. Messiah plays eight total home games at Anderson Field during the 2024 season. Messiah will play three other preseason top 10 matchups through the 2024 schedule. They will travel to No. 4 Salisbury University on Sept. 7, a neutral site game against No. 7 Christopher Newport University on Sept. 14, and No. 10 Rowan University on Oct. 2.
2024 NFHCA Division III National Coaches Preseason Poll
1 – Middlebury College
2 – Johns Hopkins University
3 – Babson College
4 – Salisbury University
5 – Messiah University
6 – Tufts University
7 – Christopher Newport University
8 – Williams College
9 – Bates College
10 – Rowan University
2024 MAC Commonwealth Field Hockey Coaches' Preseason Poll
1 – Messiah - 49 (7)
2 - York - 43
3 – Stevenson - 37
4 – Widener - 30
5 - Alvernia - 23
6 – Albright - 19Â
7 – Hood - 13
8 - Eastern - 10
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