After winning five consecutive games on grass fields, Eastern women's soccer returned home to take on #2 Messiah College in what promised to be a tough physical test. The game lived up to its billing, and the Falcons needed an Erin Hench goal in the 100th minute to improve to 12-0 on the year. The Eagles fall to 10-3.

While the Falcons fired seven first period shots to the Eagles' one, The strong play of Eastern goalkeeper Amanda Daveler, who made three of her seven saves in the opening period, and managed her box with efficiency as the Eagles played into a steady breeze in the first half kept the game level at half. The Falcons had six corners in the first half, while the Eagles had just a pair. The Eagles one shot in the opening frame put Messiah keeper Brindley Beckwith to the test, and the junior made a big save diving to her right to take away a Jill DiRenzo shot.

In the locker room at 0-0, the Eastern team grew in confidence and came out with more of an attack in the second frame. The Eagles earned their first great chance of the half in the 63rd minute after Ashley Hackman stole a ball deep in the Messiah zone. The junior midfielder then pushed the ball out of her feet and ripped a shot toward the upper corner that Beckwith pushed just wide for a corner. 

In the 65th minute, it appeared that the visitors had broken the tie when Joanna Haqq got in on the right flank and appeared to score, but an offside call nullified the goal. In the 68th minute, DiRenzo had a chance of her own to break the tie when she corralled a Chrissy West cross and hit hard shot  just wide of the upper corner. The Falcons pushed deep in the Eastern end late in regulation, but Daveler was up to the task each time.

Until Saturday's win at Montclair State, the Eagles had not played extra time, and the Falcons were in uncharted waters as well. Messiah won the toss and elected to go with the wind in the first overtime period. It was the Eagles, playing into the wind that created the first great chances of the overtime. In the 94th minute, Hackman won another ball in the midfield, and after bumping it off to a teammate and getting it back, earned space in a central seam and ripped a right-footed shot from 18 yards out that slid just wide.

In the 96th minute, West ran at the Messiah back line and after a series of moves put a shot toward the lower corner that Beckwith dove for and saved to keep the sheet clean.  In the 100th minute of action, Hench picked up a loose ball in the midfield and drove central before cracking a 22 yard shot that found the upper left corner with 13 seconds left in the first overtime.

Coach Mouw said of his team's effort, "I thought we played well in all phases of the game today. We are still growing in confidence as a team, but I think the players now know what we believe and that is that we can play with anyone out there. I am very proud of the way our entire group competed. That we had nine girls go the entire 100 minutes is a testament to the work they have put in and their commitment to each other. We are looking forward to building on this."

Box Score