GRANTHAM, Pa. – The No. 9 Messiah Field Hockey team hosted Franklin & Marshall for their home opener on Anderson Field on Wednesday night. After an early 2-0 deficit, Ellie Lefever notched a goal with one second left in the first half to cut the Franklin & Marshall lead to 2-1 heading into the half. Chelsea Carpenter then leveled the score in the third corner after inserting a penalty corner and Lindsey Campione finding Carpenter at the front of the goal. The tied score only lasted a minute before the Diplomats took a 3-2 lead on a penalty stroke and would hold that lead to the end.

The Falcons return to action on Saturday, Sep. 6, when they host No. 4 Salisbury University at 1:00 p.m. on Anderson Field.

First Half
As the teams traded possession in the opening minutes of play, the Falcons put the first two shots on the board as Caitlyn Weatherill missed just wide and Aubrey Clark placed a shot on goal that was saved by the Diplomats goalie. The Falcons earned the first penalty corner of the game at the 10:45 mark but were unable to fire off a shot. Messiah had a second penalty corner with 11 seconds remaining on the clock and Caitlyn Weatherill fired a shot on goal, but had it blocked by a Diplomats' defender.

As the team returned to the field for the second quarter, Franklin & Marshall fired a shot just 95 seconds in, but Joy Lippert was able to make the save. The Diplomats then had an opportunity to score again when they fired a shot off a penalty corner, but Joy Lippert again made a save to keep the score 0-0. After a shot from Chelsea Carpenter was blocked, the Diplomats found the back of the cage to take a 1-0 lead with just under nine minutes to play in the first half. After a pair of Falcon shots, the Diplomats had a nearly identical goal to extend their lead to 2-0. With one second remaining on the clock, Ellie Lefever worked her way around the defenders at the top of the circle and fired a shot in the upper corner, over the extended stick of the Franklin & Marshall goalie to bring the score to 2-1 in favor of the Diplomats heading into half time.

Second Half
After gaining moment with the last second goal from Ellie Lefever, the Falcons came out with a fresh energy after the break. Chelsea Carpenter fired a shot on goal just 11 seconds into play, but the Franklin & Marshall goalie was able to make the save. Messiah then had two penalty corner opportunities within 90 seconds which resulted in four Falcon shots being fired. The first from Lefever was saved by the goalie before her second shot was blocked. Casey Tyrrell looked to level the score for the Falcons but had her shot blocked before Lefever fired one just wide. Franklin & Marshall fired a shot of a penalty corner that Joy Lippert was able to save to keep the score at 2-1. On the second of a pair of penalty corners for the Falcons, Chelsea Carpenter inserted the ball into play and Lindsey Campione was able to find Carpenter's stick in front of the cage for the equalizer goal the Falcons were looking for. A minute later, following a save from Joy Lippert, the Diplomats were awarded a penalty stroke and were able to slot the ball past a reaching Lippert to regain the lead at 3-2.

With 15 minutes remaining in the contest, the teams continued to battle at both ends of the field. After an early shot by the Diplomats was saved by Joy Lippert, the teams went nearly eight minutes without firing off a shot. The shot from Aubrey Clark missed just wide and the Falcons again faced back-to-back penalty corner opportunities. Ellie Lefever and Casey Tyrrell both had shots blocked by Diplomat defenders to keep the score at 3-2 in favor of Franklin & Marshall. The teams continued the battle through the midfield before Messiah was awarded a penalty corner with less than a second remaining on the clock. Lindsey Campione fired a shot into the middle, but a Diplomat defender was able to block the shot and send the ball out of the 25 to end the game.

Stats
Messiah out shot Franklin & Marshall 18- 8 but only placed five on goal to the Diplomats' eight. The Falcons earned 11 penalty corners while the Diplomats earned two. Ellie Lefever and Chelsea Carpenter each tallied a goal while Lindsey Campione tallied an assist. Joy Lippert made five saves in goal for the Falcons.

Up Next
The Falcons return to action on Saturday, Sep. 6, when they host No. 4 Salisbury University at 1:00 p.m. on Anderson Field.