Undefeated on the Turf

The Messiah Falcons women's field hockey team has been dominant this season, to say the least. Following Saturday's 7-0 shutout victory over Alvernia University, the Falcons (8-0) are undefeated for the year and ranked number one in the nation, according to the Kookaburra/National Field Hockey Coaches Association Top 20 Poll.The team is led by 37-year veteran Coach Jan Trapp, a legend in the field hockey world. Trapp's resume includes 12 appearances in the Final Four and six trips to the Division III National Championship game. This season the Falcons appear to have a good shot at contending for a championship, having defeated four top ranked teams already -including two thrilling overtime games in a span of four days.

The offense is led by senior forward Katie Love, the team's leading scorer. Love has notched nine goals this season and provided three assists. Junior forward Kourtney Ehly has contributed five goals, while All-American junior midfielder Julie Barton, and junior midfielder Amber Philpot have added four apiece. In addition, junior midfielder Lauren Tennis has scored two goals and had three assists, and first-year Emily Hursh, senior Emily Sauder, and junior Kelsey Voight each scored their first goals on Saturday, the 26th.

The Falcons have consistently dominated their defense all season. The unit as a whole has worked effectively, allowing just nine goals in seven games for the year, including two shutouts. Senior Ashley Mowery has put up fantastic performances in goal game after game, limiting opponents to just a .112 shot percentage all year.

Simply put, this Falcon team is built on offense, defense, and depth. The team has had to overcome several injuries to key players this season, but this has just opened up the opportunities for other members of the group to step up and fill the void. Trapp has done an excellent job of preparing the younger players for in-game action, which bodes well for the future.

It might be difficult to overlook the remaining games and focus simply on the prospect of playing for a national championship - especially for a Falcons team that looks destined for greatness this year - but not for Trapp. "We need to remind ourselves to take the schedule one game at a time."

The team's next game is a home game on Saturday, October 3, at 1:00 PM, against William Smith College. With the way the Falcons have been playing this year, you sure don't want to miss this game.