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Top-Ranked Messiah Slips Past Eighth-Ranked Johns Hopkins, 2-1
 
Zazzali's Scores First Goal of the Season For JHU

 
 
 
Senior <b>Allie Zazzali's</b> second-half goal trimmed Messiah's lead to 2-1.
 
Senior Allie Zazzali's second-half goal trimmed Messiah's lead to 2-1.
 
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Sept. 8, 2010

Box Score

BALTIMORE, MD – The top-ranked Messiah women’s soccer team, winners of the last two NCAA Championships, got goals nine minutes apart midway through the game and held off eighth-ranked Johns Hopkins, 2-1, in a battle of top-10 teams at Homewood Field Wednesday evening.  The win improves the Falcons’ record to 3-0 on the year, while the Blue Jays slip to 2-1.

The teams combined for three golden scoring chances in the opening 20 minutes with Messiah sandwiching a pair of missed open net shots from senior Erin Hench and classmate Joanna Haqq around JHU’s best chance in the opening frame – a post job by Erica Suter in the 11th minute.  Suter challenged down the wing to Messiah goalie Autumn Reilly’s right, then beat Reilly to the far side, only to have her chance ring off the post and bounce directly back to Reilly.

Messiah finally made the Blue Jays pay in the 38th minute when senior Molly Bietz collected a loose ball on the left flank and crossed a beautiful ball to junior Lisa Wingard on the backside of the defense.  Wingard collected the cross and one-timed a shot past Johns Hopkins goalie Kristen Redsun to stake the visitors to a 1-0 lead.

That lead held for the remainder of the first half, but the Falcons needed just 81 seconds in the second half to double their lead.  Off what appeared to be a harmless throw-in, senior midfielder Amanda Naeher challenged her defender and got a step top-side about 16 yards out and to the far right of Redsun.  With precision she picked the near post for her team-leading fifth goal of the year to give the Falcons some breathing room.  Naeher was the national player of the year in 2008 – an honor she handed off to Hench last season.


 

 

That margin lasted for just over two minutes before Hopkins cut the deficit in half.  Senior Sara Tankard’s corner kick was flicked through the box by a Falcon defender and landed at the foot of classmate Allie Zazzali in heavy traffic.  Zazzali poked home her first goal of the season past the out-stretched arms of Reilly to make it 2-1.

While the Blue Jays had several chances over the final 40 minutes, the Falcons did a nice job of playing ball control and limited JHU to just one official shot in the second half to secure the non-conference victory.

Messiah held a 14-6 advantage in shots and a 6-3 margin in corner kicks.  Reilly posted three saves for the Falcons, while Redsun posted two stops for the Blue Jays.

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