ST. DAVIDS, Pa.– Eastern University Field Hockey (5-7, 0-1) dropped its MAC Commonwealth opener to the 21st ranked Messiah University Falcons by a 7-0 score. The Falcons, who scored twice in each of the first two quarters, were the first team to keep the Eagles off the scoreboard this season.
Messiah (7-4, 0-1) opened the scoring in the fifth minute on a perfectly executed penalty corner. Three minutes later, the guests doubled their lead when a long serve from outside the circle caught the upright and bounced back into play. Messiah midfielder Leah Bruner won the scramble for the ball and pushed home her fourth goal of the year.
While the guests had all the play in the first quarter, the Eagles came out with more possession in the second. That reality gave the Falcon attackers more space to attack in transition and the guests took advantage early in the quarter. With the Eagles trying to work out of the back, Messiah forward Aubrey Clark intercepted a pass.
Christina Unger charged out to challenge, but Clark pushed a pass across the goal and Chelsea Carpenter tapped in her first career goal.
The Eagles had a great chance to grab one back with nine minutes to play in the half.
CJ Summa won a ball near midfield and chipped a perfect pass into space for
Morgan Unruh in space behind the Messiah back line. Messiah goalie Joy Lippert came off her line with strength and slid through Unruh to keep the Eastern forward from getting a shot on goal.
Moments later Unruh had another chance in the circle, but her shot drifted wide.
Carpenter put the Falcons up 4-0 after an interception in the Eastern end in the 26th minute. Messiah had a 5-0 edge in first-half penalty corners.
Messiah got a goal from Teagan Murray on another turnover and a hard shot before the Eagles had their best chances of the half. Eastern earned four-consecutive penalty corners over a three-minute stretch. Summa had a shot hit the post, and
Karlee Howard put a shot off a Messiah player's foot. Both teams finished with three shots in the third quarter.
The Falcons added their final two goals on a penalty stroke and a penalty corner in the final five minutes of the match.
The Eagles are at Albright on Wednesday.
