No. 17 Messiah 16, Lebanon Valley 9

LVC Starters
Kelley, Kuntz, Moatz, Mellendick, Maleski, Brewer, Jones, O'Neill, Morris, Stoltzfus, Bingham, Boyce

Messiah Starters
Liberati, Stover, Hawthorne, Delaney, Milwicz, Herbenar, Wagner, Gamble, Colson, Ehrhardt, Dipeso, Athens

How It Happened
Lebanon Valley made it tough on No. 17 Messiah during the teams' regular-season finale at Arnold Field before the Falcons pulled away for a 16-9 victory on Saturday afternoon.

The contest remained a close three-score game as the clock ticked under 10 minutes but Messiah (12-5, 8-0 MAC Commonwealth) was able to close it out with a 4-0 run, allowing the MAC Commonwealth regular season champions to escape with the victory.

The Falcons used a similar run at the end of the second half to stretch a slim one-goal lead to an 11-6 advantage at the break, forcing the Flying Dutchmen (10-6, 6-2 MAC Commonwealth) to play catch up after halftime.

Emma Jones scored LVC's first goal, a free position strike, to tie the game at 1-1 at the 26:36 mark before Tori Kuntz's marker two minutes later kept things even, this time at 2-2.

After Messiah scored the next two goals, Sam Boyce netted her first of the afternoon on a free position attempt before the Falcons and Lebanon Valley hopped on the see-saw and traded goals back and forth over the next 12 minutes. Jones, Alyse Bingham, and Brenna O'Neill converted scores for the Dutchmen during the stretch.

Down five following the break, the LVC defense held Messiah to just one goal in the first 21 minutes of the second half thanks to some outstanding play by goalkeeper Shelby Morris.

Another score from Boyce and two more from Jones cut the deficit to 12-9 with 21:28 remaining but the offense struggled to finish off chances the rest of the way, allowing the Falcons to add insurance goals down the stretch.

Inside the Numbers
- Messiah outshot the Dutchmen 41-17 and held a 38-16 advantage in shots on goal.
- The Falcons protected the ball well, only turning it over seven times. LVC committed 20 turnovers on the day.
- Lebanon Valley scooped up 15 ground balls and Messiah corralled 17 of them.
- The Falcons were strong on the draw control, winning 17 of them compared to nine wins for LVC.
- The Dutchmen struggled a bit in the open field, finishing 11-21 on clears. Messiah was a perfect 11-for-11 on clear attempts.
- Emma Jones racked up a team-high five points, scoring four goals on just six shots and adding and assist.
- Sam Boyce scored a pair of goals, added an assist, and had five draw controls.
- Emily Moatz had a strong game, finishing with an assist, three ground balls, three draw controls, and a caused turnover.
- Brooke Stoltzfus grabbed a team-high four ground balls for the Dutchmen.
- Shelby Morris was stout in goal for Lebanon Valley, making 22 saves against the nation's No. 17 squad, just one stop shy of LVC's single-game record.
- Messiah's Jenna Stover tallied a game-high six points. She scored four goals and assisted on two more.
- Alexa Dipeso made seven saves in net for the Falcons.

Senior Day
Prior to this afternoon's contest, LVC women's lacrosse seniors Tori Kutz, Emily Moatz, Alyse Bingham, Sam Boyce, and Shelby Morris were honored for their contributions to the program the past four seasons. The five players have been instrumental to the success of women's lacrosse since the program's re-introduction at Lebanon Valley College in 2010.

Who's Next?
Lebanon Valley earned the number three seed in next week's MAC Commonwealth postseason tournament. The Dutchmen will travel to Stevenson to take on the number two-seeded Mustangs in semifinal action on Wednesday evening.