Messiah Keeps Pace With Eastern, Earns 14-12 Road Win
Freshman Jaime Gerhart reacts after scoring Thursday's final - and her career-high third - goal at Eastern University.

St. Davids, PA — Messiah head coach Heather Greer said she expected a test Thursday afternoon at MAC foe Eastern University.

She couldn’t have been prepared for her own team to help add to the hurdle, however.

A game-ending injury to sophomore Megan Bovenzi and two yellow cards issued to senior defender Brianne Brennan took two of the Falcons’ best players off the field, but Messiah (10-3, 8-0) stayed poised to claim a crucial 14-12 decision over the host Eagles, remaining tied for the league’s top spot with just three regular-season games to go.

Eastern (7-6, 5-3) pulled within a 13-12 difference with 3:06 remaining in regulation, but some clutch defense and a putback goal from freshman Jaime Gerhart sealed the deal for Messiah, which ran its winning streak to eight games.

“We knew this was a big game for us and we knew how much we needed this win to put us in a good place for post season,” Greer said. “We felt prepared to match up against Eastern and were excited to play against their pressure defense but we of course couldn’t prepare for everything that happened today.”

‘What happened’ was a nasty looking sprained ankle to Bovenzi early in the second half, followed by two yellow cards to leading draw controller and defender Brianne Brennan.

When leading freshman and leading scorer Rachel Dirksen was nailed with a three-minute penalty with just 5:07 to play in regulation, Eastern was in the midst of a 3-0 run, making a 13-9 game a 13-12 affair.

Thankfully, Gerhart picked a good time to have a career day.

The Ephrata, Pennsylvania native scooped her first ground ball of the afternoon with 2:23 to play, concluding an Eagles’ possession that resulted in one shot and two free position attempts.

Gerhart then got the ball into Messiah’s attacking third, firing a shot at Eastern keeper Kim Campbell, which was subsequently saved.

Gerhart then picked up the loose change and sent a slow roller beneath Campbell, adding a much-needed insurance goal with just 59 seconds to go.

Messiah then won the ensuing draw control, bleeding out the clock for a win in the most unique of fashions.

“With (a lot of time left) on the clock we found ourselves in a challenging position,” Greer said. “Two of our strongest impact players were done for the whole game and our most dominant attacker was out for a three minute penalty. It was not the place we wanted to be in. But the heart of this team and the passion that they play with each game really was evident today. Even though we don’t have significant numbers, we showed today we sure have depth!  (Freshman) Jess Stevens and Jaime Gerhart filled in for Bri and Megan and stepped it up big for us and immediately added life out there.”

Gerhart scored a career-high three goals on the day, finishing with a caused turnover and two ground balls. Dirksen finished with four goals on five shots, while senior Jackie Dando scored three times.

On the afternoon, Messiah recorded 34 shots to Eastern’s 25, finishing with 21 ground balls to the Eagles’ 14. Both teams finished with half of the game’s total 28 draw controls.
 
“It was definitely a back and forth game which keeps it more exciting for fans but not what we want to keep doing,” Greer said. “We know that consistency is key for us in our three remaining conference games and I am confident that my captains will lead us to a strong finish, taking one day, one game at a time”

Messiah will continue MAC play next, hosting Misericordia University Saturday afternoon in the home regular-season finale. Game time is set for 1 p.m. at Anderson Field.