GRANTHAM, Pa. – The No. 5 Messiah field hockey team dropped a hard-fought battle against the No. 2 Blue Jays of Johns Hopkins University on Wednesday night with a final score of 3-1. The first quarter was a midfield battle with only two shots per team. The Blue Jays struck in the second quarter with a goal two minutes into the period. Johns Hopkins struck again with just over two minutes to play in the third quarter. The Falcons scored in the fourth quarter when Jenna Lutz found Kelsey Heltzel to bring the score to 2-1. Messiah continued to pressure but were unable to find the back of the cage again. Johns Hopkins scored once in the fourth quarter to bring the score to 3-1.

The Falcons return to action on Saturday, September 7th, when they travel to No. 4 Salisbury University for their first road game of the season. Action will begin at 6:00 p.m.

First Quarter
As expected with a top five matchup, much of the first quarter was played in the midfield, with both teams battling for possession. A shot by Carrie Bair at the 3:23 mark brought the first action at the goal. Johns Hopkins was unable to convert a penalty corner at the 7:15 mark. They earned a second corner at the 8:54 mark and the Blue Jays looked for their first goal, but a save by Eva Hancock kept the score 0-0. Leah Bryner took the Falcons second shot but missed just wide. Eva Hancock picked up a second save with 17 seconds left in the quarter.

Second Quarter
Action began much the same with some back-and-forth possession in the midfield before Johns Hopkins found the back of the cage two minutes into the quarter to give the Blue Jays a 1-0 lead. The Blue Jays added one more shot in the quarter. Kelsey Heltzel took a shot with 1:25 left on the clock but had her shot blocked. Johns Hopkins led 1-0 going into halftime.

Third Quarter
The Blue Jays came out of halftime eager to increase their lead. After two penalty corners in the first minute and a shot off the post, they continued their attack on the cage. A third corner led to another Blue Jays shot but Eva Hancock was able to get a hand on it for the save. Messiah looked to score with back-to-back shots from Kelsey Heltzel and Carrie Bair, but both were saved by the Blue Jays goalie. Johns Hopkins picked up a green card around the 11-minute mark and the Falcons looked to benefit from the man-up opportunity. With 2:13 left in the quarter, Hopkins was able to capitalize on a corner and bring the score to 2-0.

Fourth Quarter
Messiah started the fourth quarter down 2-0 and came out ready to attack on offense. The Falcons earned four penalty corners in the first five minutes. They were able convert on the fourth when Jenna Lutz inserted to Kelsey Heltzel at the top of the circle. Heltzel settled the ball and rocketed a shot straight through the center to give the Falcons a goal and bring the score to 2-1. Three minutes later, it was Heltzel again looking to tie the score but her shot was saved by the Johns Hopkins goalie. With about 7:30 left on the game clock, Jenna Lutz picked up a yellow card that left Messiah in a man down position for five minutes. A little over a minute after the card, the Blue Jays picked up a penalty corner which resulted in a penalty stroke opportunity. The Blue Jays cashed in with a bottom left shot to bring the score to 3-1. Teagan Murrie took one more shot in the half but missed just wide.

Stats
Kelsey Heltzel had the Falcons lone goal. Jenna Lutz picked up an assist on the goal. The Blue Jays outshot the Falcons 11-9, placing six on goal to the Falcons four. Both teams took nine penalty corners. Eva Hancock had three saves in goal for the Falcons.

Next
The Falcons return to action on Saturday, September 7th, when they travel to No. 4 Salisbury University for their first road game of the season. Action will begin at 6:00 p.m.