ST. DAVIDS, Pa. - On a rain soaked, Homecoming afternoon at Olson Field, Eastern Women's Soccer battled valiantly in a 3-1 loss to the No. 5 ranked Messiah University Falcons. Sophomore Kelly Lyons'  goal in the second half was Eastern's first goal against the perennially strong Falcons since 2011, and first-year goalkeeper Faith Leake shined again in her fifth start of the season.

Messiah (11-2-0, 3-0-0) controlled the pace of play throughout, dominating both possession and field position. The Falcons outshot the Eagles 25-4, which included a 14-0 edge in the first half and a 16-3 advantage in shots on target.

The Falcons struck first in the 32nd minute on a tally from Kierstyn Fogle, before Lydia Ring and Hannah Adair scored goals in the 52nd and 69th minutes to increase their advantage to 3-0.

Despite the deficit, the Eagles begin to press their attack more later in the second half and earned their first corner of the match. On a perfect cross from Ashlynn Keys, Lyons elevated a shot past goalkeeper Raegan Salamone to break the shutout bid. It was the first collegiate goal for Lyons, and the third assist of the season for Keys.

Facing a high volume of shots, Leake stood tall throughout the course of the rain soaked afternoon. The Philadelphia native made 13 total saves in the match, many of them brilliant, against a high-powered Messiah attack. In five start and eight total appearances, Leake has made 41 saves and posted a 1.59 GAA.

Eastern (2-5-5, 1-1-1) will be back in action on Wednesday for a road contest at York College. The contest is set to begin at 7:00 pm.