GRANTHAM, Pa. – The Messiah Field Hockey team opened Middle Atlantic Conference Commonwealth play on Saturday afternoon with a 4-0 win over MAC newcomer Neumann University. The Falcons got on the board in the second minute of play when
Ellie Lefever scored on a penalty corner opportunity with an assist by
Chelsea Carlisle and
Alyssa Lewis. The 1-0 lead held through the first half before Carlisle again found Lefever early in the third to extend the lead to 2-0. Cailtyn Weatherill and
Olivia Zaskoda added goals in the fourth quarter as Messiah earned the 4-0 win.
Ellie Lefever led the Falcons with a pair of goals while Cailtyn Weatherill and
Olivia Zaskoda each added one.
Chelsea Carlisle tallied three assists with
Alyssa Lewis adding one.
Joy Lippert made two first half saves in goal while
Anna Haberle added three saves in the second half to combine for the shutout victory.
The Falcons return to action on Wednesday, Oct. 7 at 7:00 p.m. when they host the Blazers of Hood College.
First Half
Messiah got on the board after an early penalty corner was converted for a goal from
Ellie Lefever with assists credited to
Chelsea Carlisle and
Alyssa Lewis in a 1-2 touch. The Falcons then controlled possession, tallying a pair of penalty corners in the next three minutes, with shots from Lefever and
Lindsey Campione being blocked by Neumann defenders. In the ninth minute,
Taylor Wielechowski and
Alyssa Lewis each fired shots on goal, with the Knights goalie making two saves to keep the score 1-0. The Falcons had one more penalty corner opportunity in the opening quarter but a shot from
Ellie Lefever was blocked as the score remained 1-0 in favor of the Falcons.
The teams traded possession in the first five minutes of the second quarter before the Knights earned their first penalty corner of the game. A shot from the Knights was saved by
Joy Lippert before Messiah retook possession. On Messiah's first penalty corner of the second quarter,
Taylor Wielechowski fired a shot on goal that was saved by the Neumann goalie before
Naomi Lyter had a shot blocked. At the other end of the field, the Knights looked to level the score with a shot on goal, but
Joy Lippert was again able to make the save and maintain the 1-0 lead. Wielechowki fired a shot that was blocked before
Chelsea Carlisle fired a shot on cage that forced a save by the Neumann goalie. A pair of late penalty corners for the Falcons resulted in a shot from Carlisle being saved and a shot from
Abigail Benner being blocked by a Knights defender. A late shot from
Caitlyn Weatherill was saved by the Knights goalie as the Falcons took their 1-0 lead into halftime.
Second Half
The Falcons looked to score early in the second half with
Olivia Zaskoda firing a shot passed the goalie but to the stick of a Knights defender to keep the score at 1-0. The Falcons earned a penalty corner that resulted in a shot from
Ellie Lefever being blocked before a second penalty corner opportunity was successfully converted as
Chelsea Carlisle found
Ellie Lefever for her second goal of the game to extend the Messiah lead to 2-0. Just 13 seconds later,
Taylor Wielechowski fired a shot just wide of the cage. The Falcons continued to control possession, earning a pair of penalty corners and registering a shot just wide from
Kenzie Feeney. The Knights earned a late penalty corner of their own and fired two shots on goal, with
Anna Haberle making a pair of strong saves to maintain the 2-0 Messiah lead with one quarter remaining.
Neumann fired a pair of early shots, with the first being blocked and the second being saved by
Anna Haberle before earning a pair of penalty corners in the 46
th minute. The Falcon defense held strong and forced a shot wide from Neumann before Messiah regained possession. After a shot just wide from
Chelsea Carlisle, Messiah recovered possession and Carlisle found
Caitlyn Weatherill to give Messiah the 3-0 lead with just under 10 minutes to play.
Alyssa Lewis had a pair of shots blocked before
Chelsea Carlisle fired a shot that was blocked.
Kenzie Feeney fired a shot on goal with 20 seconds remaining that was saved by the Knights goalie before
Olivia Zaskoda sent in the ricochet to tally her first goal of the season, giving Messiah the 4-0 lead that would hold as time expired.
Stats
Ellie Lefever led the Falcons with a pair of goals while Cailtyn Weatherill and
Olivia Zaskoda each added one.
Chelsea Carlisle tallied three assists with
Alyssa Lewis adding one.
Joy Lippert made two first half saves in goal while
Anna Haberle added three saves in the second half to combine for the shutout victory.
Up Next
The Falcons return to action on Wednesday, Oct. 7 at 7:00 p.m. when they host the Blazers of Hood College.
