Box Score
Reading, PA – The Messiah College Falcons' field hockey team has become accustomed to fast starts this season- in eight of their 10 wins the Falcons have scored the game's first goal before 10 minutes of play has elapsed.
The Falcons would find a different way to win this time, however.
Early defensive stands and a persistent offensive attack proved to be too much for the hosts. The Falcons (10-3, 5-0) emerged victors in a lopsided victory Saturday evening as they scored three goals in the final 24 minutes of play en route to 4-0 win over the Alvernia University Crusaders (7-8, 2-4).
“We made some strategic adjustments after halftime that really worked out well for us,” head coach
Brooke Good said after the game. “Both our first group (of players), and the girls that came off the bench, made a big difference in that second half for us.”
The adjustments paid off for Good and the Falcons-
Juliana Hershey,
Becky Ely, and
Emily Hursh each tallied in the second half to break the game open and seal the win.
The game was predominantly a tale of two halves-- the first was strong defensively for the Falcons, and the second provided the offense.
"Our defense in the first half was fantastic," Good said.
The hosts kept constant pressure on the Falcons' net throughout the first half—outshooting the Falcons 14-6 through 35 minutes of play. Junior goalkeeper
Molly Gebrosky made six saves in the first half—eight in all—to preserve the scoreless tie late into the half. Gebrosky collected her sixth shutout of the season in the win.
“Molly played a phenomenal game today—our whole defense did really,” Good said. “It was just a fantastic team effort today, pushing through the first half defensively and getting some late goals. Alvernia really tried to take advantage on the corners early and our defense stepped up.”
The hosts outplayed the Falcons in every statistical category through the first frame—except on the scoreboard. Sophomore
Heather Quirk gave the Falcons the lead in the 30th minute of play after finding the ball in a scrum in front of the net to beat the Crusaders' goalkeeper just under the left pad. For Quirk, it was her fifth goal on the season and her second in as many games.
The second half proved decisive in the final outcome. The Falcons dominated the flow of play—outshooting the hosts 16-2 and taking four more penalty corners. Despite the pressure, the Crusaders' defense withstood the Falcons' attack for much of the stanza. That was until senior
Juliana Hershey doubled the Falcons' lead, with her team-leading fifth goal on the season, at the 47:09 mark. Hershey followed up a shot off the goalie's pads and drilled a shot of her own into the right side of the cage- setting off a jubilant celebration for the Falcons.
Two more tallies—one each from sophomore
Becky Ely and senior
Emily Hursh—late in the second half sealed the Falcons' fifth win in five tries against Commonwealth conference opponents this season.
“It was good to come out and play a full 70 minutes,” Good added. “We needed that heading into next week's games.”
Messiah has a busy week upcoming as Good alluded to, playing three games in five days for the only time this season. They face off against Commonwealth newcomer Hood College on Tuesday Oct. 16 in Frederick, Md., and play host to reigning national champion The College of New Jersey and Arcadia University on Thursday and Saturday, respectively.
