Box Score
GRANTHAM, Pa. - #1 Messiah held off a furious second-half surge by #7 Lebanon Valley to edge the Dutchmen, 2-1, and win the Commonwealth Conference field hockey championship Saturday.
The unbeaten Falcons (19-0) earn the CC's automatic berth to the NCAA tournament with their 16th conference title, but the Dutchmen (17-3) are likely to earn an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament, with two of their losses being to top-ranked Messiah. Selections will be announced Monday morning at 9 a.m.
LVC and Messiah were meeting for the sixth consecutive year in the final; the Falcons are 5-1 in those games. Lebanon Valley was hoping for its first crown since 2006.
Tournament MVP Ashley Mowery made eight saves, including seven in the second half, to protect a 2-0 Messiah lead.
Caitlin Baro stopped seven to keep LVC in the game.
Messiah dominated the first half, outshooting LVC 8-2. The Falcons scored quickly on Elizabeth Ziegler's unassisted strike 6:19 into the game, and just as LVC thought it would get out of half without any more damage, Katie Love tallied with 18 seconds left to play.
The tide turned in the second half, however, and the Dutchmen broke through with
Jocelyn Novak's goal off
Jenni Walker's assist at 64:21, capping a frustrating sequence that saw seven LVC shots before Novak scored off the corner.
Unfortunately, the equalizer never came despite some tough pressure in the final moments. Baro had to make three saves in the final moments, and Novak's opportunity was blocked with just over two minutes remaining.
Messiah held a slim 18-16 shots advantage, while LVC led 11-7 on corners.
Rachel Pantalone added a defensive save to help Baro's seven. Novak's goal snapped a streak of 318:25 for Mowery.