YORK, Pa. – The No. 21 Messiah Field Hockey team fell to No. 17 York in a battle for the top spot in the MAC Commonwealth Wednesday night with a score of 4-2. The Spartans took a 4-0 lead in the 47
th minute before
Aubrey Clark found
Ellie Lefever in the 48
th minute to put Messiah on the board,
Alyssa Lewis found
Taylor Wielechowski in the 58
th minute but the Falcons efforts fell short, with York earning the 4-2 win and securing the top spot in the upcoming MAC Commonwealth Championship tournament.
Ellie Lefever and
Taylor Wielechowski led the Falcons with one goal each while
Aubrey Clark and
Alyssa Lewis each tallied an assist.
Joy Lippert tallied one save in goal.
The Falcons return to action at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 31, when they travel to Albright College to conclude the regular season.
First Half
The game opened as expected, with both teams battling for possession with limited shots. The Spartans looked to strike early with a shot on cage just over a minute into play, but
Joy Lippert was able to make the save.
Aubrey Clark tallied a shot for Messiah in the 11
th minute but missed just wide.
The second quarter looked much the same as the first, with the Spartans firing the first shot in the 24
th minute, missing wide. York then earned the first penalty corner of the game and were able to capitalize on the opportunity to take a 1-0 lead.
Chelsea Carlisle looked to level the score with a shot on goal, but the Spartans goalie made the save. York earned a second penalty corner late, but the Falcons defense was able to keep them from registering a shot.
Second Half
The action continued to ramp up as the teams came out of the break, with the Spartans adding a pair of goals in the opening four minutes to extend their lead to 3-0. The Falcons had a penalty corner opportunity in the 34
th minute that resulted in blocked shots from
Ellie Lefever and
Addie Weiler and a shot from
Aubrey Clark that forced a defensive save from the Spartans. The Spartans earned three penalty corners in the final ten minutes, but the Falcons defense blocked both shots that were fired.
The Spartans earned a pair of penalty corners early in the fourth and were able to convert their fourth goal of the night. The Falcons earned a penalty corner in the 48
th minute and
Aubrey Clark found
Ellie Lefever to put the Falcons on the board. In the 52
nd minute, a shot from
Addie Weiler was blocked and the score remained 4-1 in favor of York.
Alyssa Lewis found
Taylor Wielechowski late in the game to bring the final score to 4-2 in favor of the Spartans.
Stats
Ellie Lefever and
Taylor Wielechowski led the Falcons with one goal each while
Aubrey Clark and
Alyssa Lewis each tallied an assist.
Joy Lippert tallied one save in goal.
Up Next
The Falcons return to action at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 31, when they travel to Albright College to conclude the regular season.
