Strong Second Half Propels Messiah Over Lady Warriors
Falcons Control Possession, Limit Lycoming's Chances
Box Score

GRANTHAM, Pa. --- With one half of the 2006 Middle Atlantic Conference Women’s Lacrosse Championship in the books, Lycoming sat in good position to be the first league foe to upend first-seeded Messiah College with a level 4-4 score at the intermission.  The Falcons, however, had different plans as they came out with several noticeable defensive changes to hold the Lady Warriors to only three second frame goals on a mere five shots to claim the title 12-7.  Lycoming finished the most successful season in team history with a 14-4 record, an outstanding mark to cap its 10^th anniversary season.

Defense was the name of the game throughout as neither team lacked in defending each other’s star attackers.  Lycoming held MAC Player of the Year Megan Duke to only two goals while keeping leading scorer Shannan Finch from notching a single goal.  Messiah, on the other hand, not only held sophomores Megan Wallenhorst (Rochester, N.Y./Irondequoit) and Heather Suit (Annapolis, Md./Broadneck) scoreless for the majority of the game, but neither player attempted a shot until Wallenhorst scored twice with less than two minutes to play in the game.

While the Falcons maintained a tight grip on the Lady Warriors, flow for Messiah through the midfield and into the offensive end opened up in the second half.  Sophomore goalkeeper Kristina Peacock (Webster, N.Y./Webster-Thomas) plugged up the leaks in Lycoming’s defense with 12 second-half saves, a team-high for stops in any one half of play.  The Lady Warriors' All-MAC Second Team keeper denied eight shots in the first frame to give her a second straight 20-save performance.

The blue and gold faithful were given much to cheer about in the early going as the Lady Warriors jumped on the board first with freshman Kelli Morsey (Baltimore, Md./Perry Hall) making good on a feed from fellow first-year attacker Kelly Mack (New Egypt, N.J./New Egypt) with only 1:40 elapsed from the opening draw.

Messiah responded quickly and often with three unanswered goals to move out to a 3-1 advantage with 22:26 to play in the first half.  Lycoming repaid the favor over the next 15 minutes, running off three straight tallies of their own beginning with the first two of freshman Sarah Wingerden’s (Macedon, N.Y./Palmyra-Macedon) three goals on the afternoon.  Morsey added her 18^th score of the season to give the Lady Warriors a 4-3 lead with 7:13 on the clock.

The Falcon’s Duke picked up her first score of the affair just 33 seconds later to knot the score and send the teams into the intermission deadlocked.

Messiah opened the second half with two noticeable defensive changes.  While Wingerden had ample space to roam in the first half, the Falcons routinely sent double teams her way to force the ball from her hand either with a pass or by turnover.  In any case, they sought to nullify her affect on Lycoming’s offensive scheme by removing her from the equation.

The second change became apparent after Peacock made a few saves.  Once she corralled a shot, the Falcons sent two of their taller players to the goal-crease, forcing Lycoming to outlet deep in their own territory parallel or behind the goal, or toss blind passes up the wing.

Two Falcon scores within the first eight minutes of second-half play gave Messiah a bit of breathing room with a 6-4 edge to put their changes to work.  Wingerden had different ideas as she split one of the double teams and drew a foul in Messiah’s goal area.  Wingerden took advantage of the opportunity, planting her third goal of the game past Messiah’s keeper to bring Lycoming within one at 6-5 with 22:48 to play.

Messiah responded five minutes later with the first of six consecutive goals to break the game open and all but secure its first league title.  Wallenhorst gave the Lady Warriors a breath of hope in the final two minutes with a pair of individual-effort scores, but there wasn’t enough time to mount a full comeback.