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Falcons Get On Track In Second Half, Hand Alvernia 21-11 Defeat
Messiah head coach Heather Greer credited sophomore Elizabeth Graham for focusing the squad Tuesday.

Reading, PA — It may have taken a bit longer than what head coach Heather Greer would have liked, but a big second half kept Messiah unbeaten in MAC play Tuesday afternoon as the Falcons handed host Alvernia University a 21-11 loss.

The Falcons led by just an 11-7 score at the intermission, but used a dominant possession game to rip 21 shots to the Crusaders’ seven in the final 30 minutes, cruising to the squad’s third straight win overall.

“Today we struggled with consistency a bit,” Greer said, “and the first half was not a representation of how we can play. Thankfully we had a second half to play up to our ability.”

Messiah (5-3, 4-0) came out flat to start the afternoon, allowing Alvernia (6-2, 2-2) a pair of unassisted goals in the game’s first four minutes. The Falcons then responded with a methodical push, scoring six of the game’s next seven goals over a six-minute stretch.

Sophomore Nikki Lawrence then came to life, scoring two of her season-high five scores in back-to-back fashion. Lawrence’s first of the bang-bang goals came on a free position shot; her second off an assist from senior Jackie Dando.

At that point, Greer’s team had doubled up the Crusaders by an 8-4 score. Alvernia would score half of the period’s final six goals, however, staying within striking distance in the 11-7 deficit.

Messiah had outshot the hosts by a 23-10 difference during the first half, but could only convert on five of 10 free position shots, scooping just nine ground balls to the Crusaders’ eight.

Junior defender Elizabeth Graham would eventually nab three of the team’s 17 ground balls on the afternoon, and Greer complimented her leadership during the halftime break.

“Elizabeth Graham is one of the hardest working players on our team,” Greer said. “She comes ready to give 100 percent each and every day and she led the team not only with her effort on the field, but she also led her teammates vocally, getting us re-focused to finish the game stronger.”

Urged on by Graham, Messiah opened the second half on a tear, scoring six straight goals to open up a 17-7 difference. An Alvernia score was answered with two more Messiah goals, and with 11:30 to play the Falcons led by a 19-8 disparity.

Lawrence paced the squad’s offense with the aforementioned five goals — all coming on just nine shots. Freshman Rachel Dirksen added four scores, while senior Emily Van Hook, senior Jackie Dando and sophomore Megan Bovenzi each scored three.

Messiah finished with a 44-17 advantage in total shots on the day, while the Falcons won 22 out of 34 total draw controls.
 
“I was proud of how the team started the second half,” Greer said. “ We knew once we had the ball we could score so after halftime, we brought our focus back the to the draws.”

Messiah will return to the field in 48 hours, as the team will take a quick break from league play when it hosts Susquehanna University Thursday. Game time is set for 4 p.m.