It was the Division III powerhouse battle that everyone thought it would be and in the end, Messiah found a way to get the job done.
The Falcons have managed to do exactly that in near perfect fashion over the last four years, winning three national championships and losing just one game – last year’s championship against Hardin-Simmons. The senior class went 96-1-4.
Saturday’s 3-1 victory over Wheaton (Ill.) gave Messiah the edge in this championship battle, which was a rematch of the 2007 and 2008 title games. Wheaton won in 2007 and Messiah avenged that in 2008. The championship is Messiah’s fourth (2005, 2008, 2009 and 2011), one behind UC San Diego’s Division III record five titles.
Easy it was not for a Messiah, which had to take down a Wheaton team that also entered the match with just one loss (ending the season 23-2-2).
Wheaton went ahead just eight minutes into the game when Anna Seabolt scored on a rock
It took redshirt senior Erin Hench just seven minutes to respond with the equalizer for Messiah, which soon took over control of the game.
Hench, who missed last season after tearing her left ACL in the first game of 2010, scored again in the 61st minute for the eventual game-winner. Hannah Weyland capped off the scoring in the 68th minute to seal the championship for Messiah.
