Upset bid falls short, Gulls ousted by No. 1 Messiah

Box Score

GRANTHAM, Pa. – The Endicott College women's soccer knew heading into Grantham, Pennsylvania that the cards would be stacked against them, as any road out the region would have to run through the nation's top-ranked team, Messiah College. After a penalty kick victory over SUNY Geneseo, the Gulls gave Messiah all it could handle before dropping a 1-0 decision on a late Falcon goal. 

Messiah junior Erin Hench (Carlisle, Pa.) slotted a well-timed through ball to senior Amanda Naeher (Seymour, Conn.) with just 1:09 remaining in regulation, and Messiah's all-time leading scorer knew what to do: Taking a touch to clear room at the top of the penalty box, Naeher fired a low and decisive blast to the far post, connecting on Messiah's 34th shot of the game.

It was the 12th Hench-to-Naeher combination on the season, as Messiah had escaped with a 1-0 win over a gritty and determined group from Beverly, Mass.

Although there was a euphoric ending for the Falcons, the foregoing minutes saw an offensive struggle as Messiah (21-0-1) blasted 33 shots before the goal, putting only three of them on frame, the lowest output on the season for the Falcons.

From the opening whistle, Messiah controlled the majority of play, displaying a strong possession game while connecting on passes through the midfield.

But on this night — despite an affable effort from the speedy wingers and the midfielders — Messiah could not place a shot on frame or challenge Gulls' goalkeeper \#Amy Meuse\# (Saugus, Mass.), who previously boasted a nation-long consecutive minutes scoreless streak of 1,063:59.

Finding confidence in their keeper's play, Endicott (17-5-1) played aggressively when they had possession in the attacking third, taking advantage of counter attacks that were few and far between.
The visitors' chance would come at the games 27:09 mark — a moment which produced Endicott's only shot of the night.

From the left side of the field, Gulls' senior midfielder \#Caitlin Flynn\# (Southold, N.Y.) crossed a deep ball that kissed of the crossbar and directed toward freshman defender \#Christine Silva\# (Stoneham, Mass.), who made a dash on the right side behind the run of play. With the ball on her right foot and junior defender Molly Bletz (Carlisle, Pa.) stepping, Silva cut back and blasted a shot that sailed just high over the crossbar and into the cool night.

At the half, Messiah looked to have control of the game but the scoreboard was still blank with nothing to show for 15 shots — zero placed on frame — and five corners.

Chances again came and went for the Falcons in the second half, as 19 second-half attempts went begging. As each second ticked hard away on the clock, so did the Falcons to the Gulls. Frey's group continued to press and press until the ball went out on the left side with just over a minute and a half to go in the game.

After a battle on and off the ball with Endicott defenders, sophomore Leah Sipe (Ephrata, Pa.) and senior Amy Horst (Leola, Pa.) combined to regain possession for Messiah. Horst then passed to Hench, who was open in the midfield. 

Hench carried the ball closer and closer to the Gulls' penalty box, eventually drawing a double team. With defenders pressing, Hench touched a pass to Naeher, who was trailing on the play. Naeher took a dribble for control and bashed a low shot to the far post, just past Meuse for the night's only score.

The 88-plus minutes were the longest stretch that Messiah was held goal-less on the season, as the previous mark of 59:25 came during Messiah's 2-0 win over Johns Hopkins on Sept. 9. Ironically, the game-winning goal that stopped that stretch came via Naeher to Hench, their first connection of the year.

The Falcons finished Sunday's game with 35 shots, five on goal, and nine corners. Endicott was only able to generate its lone first-half shot, complementing a second-half corner kick.

With the loss, the Gulls conclude their season with a record of 17-5-1, after winning The Commonwealth Coast Conference Championship and advancing over SUNY Geneseo in the NCAA First Round 1-1, 6-5 on penalty kicks.

Messiah advances to the NCAA Sectionals for the sixth straight year and ninth time in 10 years. The Falcons will be matched-up against Otterbein College after the Cardinals advanced over Denison University in a 1-0 decision. Game time, date and location have yet to be announced by the NCAA.

                                   Release courtesy of Messiah Sports Information