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Messiah Hands Manhattanville 20-10 League Defeat
Freshman Kara Geiman was a big reason for Messiah's Saturday dominance, going seven for seven from the field.

Grantham, PA — The Messiah College women’s lacrosse team effectively took care of business Saturday afternoon at Anderson Field, holding serve in the MAC Conference standings with a 20-10 win over visiting Manhattanville College.

The win kept Messiah (6-5, 3-1) among the top four in the league standings, with a pair of major conference battles approaching: The Falcons will host Lycoming College and Elizabethtown College in a span of just three days next week, games that will undoubtedly play a major role in the final MAC shakedown.

Saturday against the Valiants, Messiah looked poised to vie for a top finish in conference play, holding Manhattanville (6-7, 2-3) to just 22 total shots and only seven in the first half, where the Falcons claimed a 13-2 lead.

As first-year head coach Heather Greer subbed liberally in the second half, Manhattanville was able to out-shoot the Falcons by a 15-12 count, failing to make a dent in the overall difference of 40 to 22, in favor of Messiah.

“We started out really strong today, controlling the draws and maintaining possession of the ball really well,” Greer said. “Because we worked so hard to maintain possession, Manhattanville only got off two goals in the first half, while our defense was ready for their big scorers and wanted to shut them down. The first half was a great showing of this goal.”

Greer’s club outscored the Valiants by an 8-1 count over the game’s first 18 minutes, taking firm control and never looking back. Junior Jackie Dando scored the first marker just 11 seconds into the action, while fresman Kara Geiman would pour in four of the Falcons’ first eight tallies. Only three of Messiah’s first eight scores were unassisted, while the team finished with 12 helpers on the afternoon.

“We have been working more of a team attack and so it was fun to see some of the things we have been working on come together today,” Greer said.

Following a Manhattanville score at the 9:12 mark of the first half, Messiah rattled off another five straight scores in the final eight minutes of the period, taking its 13-2 lead at the break behind a 23 to seven advantage in total shots. Dando added another two scores in the final surge of the first half, while Geiman, freshman Megan Bovenzi and sophomore Caitlin Kruse all added single markers.

The Valiants produced their best stretch to open the second half, scoring four straight to pull within a 13-6 difference with 17:01 to play. Another score from Geiman ended the spurt, however, while Messiah would eventually take a 17-7 lead behind scores from Geiman, Bovenzi and senior Jessica VanHook with just over 11 minutes to play.

Geiman finished with a team-high seven scores for the Falcons, burying all seven of her shots from the field. Kruse did the same going two for two, while Dando carded five goals on just six shots.

Messiah’s defensive unit welcomed back senior Kirstyn Wheeler to the lineup as well, as the team’s most experience defender had missed the last five games with a concussion. Wheeler started and picked up two ground balls and three draw controls during the day, causing a team-best four turnovers as well.

“I think the team is having more fun together on and off the field and it means so much to me as a coach to see them getting competitive with each other and pushing each other in practice so that we are more prepared for games,” Greer said. “It was great to have Kirstyn back, as she creates such a sense of urgency on defense. She doesn’t let the other team’s attackers get set, but goes after them. She gave us a big lift today.”

Greer can hope that her team sustains its momentum following two straight conference wins, as a physical Lycoming team will visit Anderson Field Tuesday. Game time is set for 4:15 p.m.