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2009 Fall Sports Schedules Unveiled
Posted: 6/15/2009
Both the men's and women's soccer teams claimed national championships last fall, marking the second occasion that Messiah soccer has accomplished the feat.

Grantham, PA — The Messiah College athletics department announced the finalization of its 2009 intercollegiate fall sport schedules Monday, releasing information for men’s soccer, women’s soccer, field hockey, women’s tennis, women’s volleyball and men’s golf. The Falcons’ cross country program has yet to announce its schedule at this time.

Messiah’s men’s and women’s soccer programs highlight Monday’s announcement, as both clubs won NCAA Division III National Championships last fall. That feat was the second such dual championship for Messiah in the sport of soccer — the other occasion was in 2005 — while Messiah remains as the only NCAA institution at any level to claim both men’s and women’s soccer national titles in the same season.

First-year head coach Brad McCarty assumes the reins of the storied men’s soccer program, as 12-year head coach Dave Brandt accepted the head coaching position at the U.S. Naval Academy in late December. McCarty can only hope to continue the types of success he helped build during his eight-year tenure as the Falcons’ top assistant coach, as Messiah has won six of the last nine NCAA Division III titles, posting a D-III best 52 wins in post-season play.

The 2009 men’s soccer schedule is again filled with intriguing match-ups, perhaps none more interesting than a visit to York College Oct. 7. One of only two teams to hand Messiah a defeat in ’08, York’s proximity should provide an electric atmosphere despite the 4 p.m. start time.

The Falcons will host nine of their total 18 games at Shoemaker Field, starting the year with a Friday-Saturday double-dip against Gordon College and SUNY-Fredonia Sept. 4 and 5. A key match-up with neighboring Gettysburg College takes place under the lights Sept. 16 — the Bullets tied Messiah on their home field last season — while Oct. 13’s MAC Commonwealth tilt with Lebanon Valley College also proves intriguing.

On the women’s side, Messiah again looks to dominate regular-season opposition, as the Falcons have not lost a regular-season game in the last two years. Johns Hopkins University and Gettysburg College came the closest last fall, each dealing Messiah a scoreless tie after 110 minutes of soccer. The Falcons will host Hopkins Sept. 9 and Gettysburg Sept. 23, with each of those matches falling in the midst of a pair of three-game home stands.

Like the men, Messiah’s women’s soccer schedule boasts nine of a total 18 games at home. The team will open its slate near New York City on Sept. 1 — the team will face Stevens Institute of Technology at 5:30 p.m. — before hosting Roberts Wesleyan College Sept. 4. The team will make a trip to Eastern University on the same day the men travel to York, serving as a rematch of the ’08 NCAA Sectional Final.

As if the soccer slates weren’t enough, the Falcons’ field hockey program will be vying for its 13th trip to the NCAA Division III Final Four in 2009 and its fifth appearance in the last five years.

Fans will not have to wait long to see the team in action, as the field hockey schedule boasts three home games to kick off the year. The squad will open the regular season Sept. 1 against Juniata College, following with games against Ursinus College (Sept. 5) and Eastern (Sept. 9) at Anderson Field.

A trip to Rowan University follows on Sept. 12, as the Falcons will face the team that ended its season in the ’08 national semi-finals. A visit to perennial powerhouse Salisbury University follows just a week later, while Messiah’s fiercest league rival — Lebanon Valley — visits Anderson Field Oct. 21.

Messiah’s women’s volleyball team looks to improve on a 19-7 record this fall, participating in a total 13 matches in Brubaker Auditorium. That’s five more home events than in ’08, while the 2009 women’s volleyball schedule again provides some exciting match-ups: Arch-rival Lebanon Valley College will make the short drive to Grantham on Oct. 14, while Messiah will host tri- matches on both Oct. 16 and Halloween. A quad-match will help kick off the season on Sept. 12, while the Falcons will again finish off MAC Commonwealth competition on their home floor, hosting Lycoming College Oct. 28.

As starting times continue to fall in line, the women’s tennis schedule should also provide fans plenty of opportunities to see action, as six of the team’s regular-season matches will take place at home. The squad opens the year on Sept. 8 in hosting Eastern and follows with a home match the next day against DeSales University — two events that precede a five-match road swing. Rival Elizabethtown College visits Messiah Sept. 24 while Lebanon Valley College — the 2008 MAC Commonwealth Champion — comes to Grantham Oct. 7.

Though not its official season, the fall golf schedule provides quality opportunity for the Falcons’ golfers to hone their skills for the spring slate, as head coach Troy Boone continues to look for a prestigious NCAA Championships berth. The quality of the fall slate should help with that goal, as Messiah will open its fall agenda by spending two days at the 54-hole Bucknell University Invitational. The Falcons host their own classic at Blue Ridge Country Club Oct. 1, while trips to nearby Elizabethtown College (Country Club of Hershey East, Oct. 7) and Gettysburg College (The Links at Gettysburg, Oct. 13) conclude the fall portion of play.

Schedules are available by clicking the schedules link at the top of all GoMessiah.com pages, or by utilizing the sport-specific navigation to the left. Printer-friendly, pdf files of all sport schedules are available at the main schedules link.