GRANTHAM, Pa. – The No. 25 Messiah Women's Lacrosse team hosted the Hood College Blazers on Saturday afternoon. Messiah had four goal scorers with a pair as they took a 9-0 lead in the first half before adding seven in the second as they earned the win 16-2. Hannah Gawne and Jordan Lewicki each had four goals while Hayley Lettinga and Grace Pettitt each added two. Pettitt had three assists in the win. Grace Hejeebu had six saves in goal for the Falcons.

The Falcons are next in action on Wednesday, April 9, when they travel to St. Davids, Pa. to take on the Eagles of Eastern University. The game will begin at 4:00 p.m.

First Quarter
After the Blazers earned the opening draw control, Emma Hagg caused a turnover and earned the ground ball to start the Falcons offense. With a minute off the clock, Hayley Lettinga netted the first goal of the game. Katie Bukiewicz earned the draw control and earned a free position shot but missed just wide before Grace Pettitt had a shot blocked by a Hood defender. After some back-and-forth play, Hagg caused a turnover and recovered the ground ball before Hannah Gawne scored to bring the score to 2-0 in favor of the Falcons. Jordan Lewicki and Alina Bernal-Clark each fired shots off the post before Pettitt had a shot blocked. Katie Bukiewicz fired a shot on goal that was saved before possession was back with the Blazers. Hood fired a shot on goal with 18 seconds left on the clock that Grace Hejeebu made the save on.

Second Quarter
Emma Hagg earned the opening draw control, and the Falcons quickly earned a free position attempt that resulted in a free position goal for Grace Pettitt. Thirty seconds later, Annalise Keitel assisted Jordan Lewicki to bring the lead to 4-0. The next five minutes were scoreless as Messiah fired two shots while the Blazers fired one on goal that was saved by Grace Hejeebu before firing two wide. With 6:37 remaining on the clock, the Falcons earned a free position attempt that resulted in a free position goal for Jordan Lewicki. Emma Hagg secured the draw control and Hayley Lettinga fired a shot on goal that was saved by the Hood goalie. Grace Pettitt kept the Falcons offense alive by picking up the ground ball. Annalise Keitel found Hayley Lettinga for the goal at 5:32. Hannah Gawne secured the draw control before Alina Bernal-Clark found Katie Bukiewicz in front of the goal to give Messiah the 7-0 lead. Hagg secured the draw control before Hannah Gawne found the back of the net to extend the lead to 8-0. Bernal-Clark fired a shot off the post that was recovered by Kendall Bayley before Jordan Lewicki fired a shot on goal that was saved. With 1:46 remaining in the first half, Grace Pettitt notched a goal for the Falcons to give Messiah a 9-0 lead. The Falcons looked to get the running clock before the break when Emile Cotton recovered a ground ball that led to a shot just wide for Gawne before a shot just wide for Keitel.

Third Quarter
After some back-and-forth possession to open the second half, Hood was able to find the back of the net at 1:34 to make it 9-1 in favor of the Falcons. Messiah was quick to answer a minute later when Annalise Keitel found Hannah Gawne for the Falcons tenth goal of the game. After a Hood turnover, Emma Hagg secured the ground ball and Grace Pettitt found Jordan Lewicki for the man-up goal, causing a running clock to begin. The next six and a half minutes were played on trading possessions before the Blazers earned a free possession attempt. Grace Hejeebu was able to make the save on the free position shot. As the Falcons regained possession, Annalise Keitel found Jordan Lewicki for a man-down goal with 4:24 remaining in the quarter. Hood called a timeout that proved to be successful as the Blazers scored their second goal two minutes later. Jordan Lewicki earned the draw control for the Falcons and Messiah took a 13-2 lead with one quarter remaining as Grace Pettitt found Brynn Johnsen at the front of the goal.

Fourth Quarter
Katie Bukiewicz secured the opening draw control as Hayley Lettinga fired a shot just wide. The Blazers looked to cut their deficit as they fired a shot on goal, but Grace Hejeebu was able to make the save. Kendall Bayley fired a shot for the Falcons, but a Hood defender blocked the shot. After another Grace Hejeebu save in goal, Grace Pettitt found Kendall Bayley for the first goal of her season and the fourteenth for the Falcons on the afternoon. With 6:23 remaining in the game, Hannah Gawne netted her fourth goal of the game to extend the lead to 15-2. Jordan Lewicki earned the draw control and fired a shot on goal that was saved by the Hood goalie. With just under three minutes remaining, the Blazers fired a promising shot on goal, but Hejeebu was able to make the save. Dani Sauder notched a goal with 1:41 remaining to give Messiah the 16-2 lead that would hold through the end of the game.

Stats
Hannah Gawne and Jordan Lewicki each had four goals while Hayley Lettinga and Grace Pettitt each added two. Pettitt had three assists in the win. Grace Hejeebu had six saves in goal for the Falcons. Emma Hagg led the Falcons with seven draw controls, three caused turnovers and four groundballs.

Up Next
The Falcons are next in action on Wednesday, April 9, when they travel to St. Davids, Pa. to take on the Eagles of Eastern University. The game will begin at 4:00 p.m.