Box Score
Carlisle, PA - A thrilling, back-and-forth game from two top-20 teams led to an even more thrilling finish as Messiah College defeated Dickinson College by the score of 11-10 on Wednesday. Messiah junior
Cecilia Kjellman scored the game-winning goal with 2:41 remaining in the second half as the Falcons came from down 10-9 in the final 3:49 of the game to earn the win.
Coming into the game, the Falcons were ranked #12 in the most recent IWLCA Top 25 poll. The Red Devils were ranked #20.
"I'm so proud of our poise throughout the entire game," Messiah head coach
Heather Greer said. "This was a very intense and crazy game, and I'm proud of our girls for excecuting to the very end."
Down 10-9 after a score by Dickinson sophomore Val Hoffman at the 4:35 mark of the second half, Messiah received a game-tying goal from senior
Rachel Dirksen with 3:49 left to play.
"We called a timeout (after Dickinson took a 10-9 lead)," Greer said, reflecting on her team's final minutes in the game. "I told the girls that the next draw was to going to make all the difference in the game, and our girls rose to the occasion."
Down 10-9, sophomore Lizzy Kenney came up with the draw control to give Messiah possession. The Falcons chose to isolate Dirksen, who scored her sixth goal on the day to knot the game at 10-10.
After losing out on the next draw, the Falcons regained possession after a Red Devils' turnover. With now under 3:00 to play, Dirksen controlled possession behind the left side of the Dickinson goal before finding Kjellman on a straight cut from the top of the arc towards the cage. A precision pass led to a fast catch-and-shoot from Kjellman underneath the defense for the score.
"The pass from Dirk was beautiful," Greer said. "And Cecilia's shot was as perfect as you'll see in that situtation. The pass and the score were both tremendous plays."
After stopping Dickinson on their final attempt to tie the game, the Falcons ran out the clock for their third win on the season.
The win capped off a match-up that lived up to the national hype. To begin the game, Messiah and Dickinson alternated the first eight goals with Dirksen beginning the scoring just 3:05 in the contest. Even after Messiah scored three goals in a row-- including two more by Dirksen-- to span the end of the first half and beginning of the second half, Dickinson answered with four straight scores to take an 8-7 lead.
Messiah would tie the game at 8-8 on an unassisted score by Kjellman at the 14:29 mark of the second half. The teams would alternate goals from there with Hoffman giving the Red Devils their aforementioned 10-9 lead in the final minutes play.
For the Falcons, the win highlighted not only the team's ability to execute under pressure, but also their ability to play effectively into their bench. Specifically, the team's defensive unit was challenged with the absence of standout senior defender
Rachel Coyle who missed the game due to injury.
"(Dickinson) did a great job of being patient on attack and controlling possesssions," Greer said. "They really tested our defense the entire day, but our girls really matched that test. With 'RC' being out, we had girls step up and do a great job for us."
Greer was quick to highlight the play of
Ariana Borreggine, a freshman defender that played every minute of Wednesday's win after seeing limited field time to begin the season.
"That's what a 'team' is all about," Greer went on to say. "When the call comes, you have to be ready. We were ready today, and I'm very proud of how we met the challenge."
"We want close, competitive games," Greer added. "We want to see what type of team we are when under pressure. Today, we never stopped believing we could win. That shows maturity."
The win keeps Messiah (3-0) undefeated in 2012, while Dickinson (2-3) loses for the third time in five games.
Dirksen added two assists to go along with her six goals, and now has 17 goals through the team's first three games. Kjellman finished with two goals to bring her season score-total to eight.
Messiah will look to continue its winning ways when they play host to Ursinus College on Friday, March 9. The game is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. on the Falcons' Anderson Field.
