Field hockey wins first national championship
Many sports fans will remember 2016 as the end to the long-standing championship droughts and “curses” of both the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Chicago Cubs. For Messiah fans, a similar sentiment will undoubtedly arise as the Falcons’ field hockey team made history when they secured their first NCAA Division III National Championship in Geneva, New York, Nov. 20.
The Falcons’ title win—which ended a streak of eight national runner-up finishes dating back to 1984—came in dramatic fashion as No. 1 Messiah defeated No. 3 Tufts University in a championship finale that may very well go down as one of the best in Division III history. The Falcons and Jumbos battled through freezing temperatures, high winds and snow to play 70 scoreless minutes in regulation, and then another 30 scoreless minutes in the overtime periods. In the end, the teams were left in a winner-take-all penalty shootout, and the Falcons prevailed with a 2-1 score thanks in large part to the terrific defensive play of goalie Shelby Landes ’19.
“The entire performance, from start to finish, was truly special,” said Messiah Head Coach Brooke Good. “All season long we were intentional to build confidence and mental toughness, and to focus on the ‘controllables’ in any given game. That training translated well to the championship.”
The championship victory closed the book on a history full of title game losses. Messiah’s eight runner-up finishes without a championship tied for the most by any NCAA men’s or women’s team, regardless of sport, with UC San Diego women’s swimming. Messiah is surely thankful to give up that distinction.
It’s significant to be the first team to win,” said Good on the team’s achievement. “To be the first team to earn the trophy, it’s certainly special. But the win is also for our entire program, and that includes so many student-athletes, coaches, support staff, and many others that pursued this achievement for so long. This is a championship that we can all be proud of.
At the end of the season, the National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) named Good the National Coach of the Year, also a first in program history.
— Steve King ’06, senior associate director of athletics