GRANTHAM, PA:  (Oct. 23, 2010) -  With two games to play on their Commonwealth schedule, Arcadia Field Hockey traveled for their final road game of the 2010 season.  It happened to be against the #2 team in the land, Messiah College, the second straight weekend Arcadia has faced one of the nation's top team, having faced #1 Lebanon Valley seven days earlier.  The Knights would lose Saturday's Commonwealth game by a 6-0 margin, however, signs of improvement over the past seasons were evident.  Saturday's meeting was the third all-time for the Knights and Falcons.  During the 2008 season, Messiah pounded out a 14-0 victory but the Knights, having made steady improvements under second year head coach Erin Livingston, cut that margin in half last season, losing 7-0 at home.  

The Knights stayed true to their game plan, with persisent defensive communication and marking and were able to hold the Falcons off the scoreboard for the first 16 minutes when Julie Barton dished out the first of her three assists on a goal by Amber Good.  While the Messiah shots kept coming, sophomore keeper Sara Baumgardner (Hatboro, PA/Upper Moreland) kept the Falcon attack silent for the next 16 minutes, until Courtney Ehly scored with 3 minutes remaining in the half off another feed from Barton to give Messiah a 2-0 lead at the half.  Messiah waited just 1:53 into the start of the second half, as Ehly scored unassisted putting the home team up 3-0. 
Kilie Rosenberry would tack on back-to-back scores in less than a two-minute span in the 50th minute to give the Falcons a sizeable 5-0 advantage.  And in the 60th minute, Messiah would convert on a penalty corner to seal the 6-0 victory. 

Messiah dominated the offense, outshooting the Knights 39-1 and 19-2 in corner opportunities.  For the Knights, senior Adrianne Altera (Califon, NJ/Voorhees) registered the lone shot for her team and picked up 2 defensive saves.  Senior Ashley McCarthy (Norristown, PA/Norristown) pitched in with 2 defensive stops to give her a season total of 10 which leads the team.  First year Danielle Riggins (Dorchester, NJ/Millville) also earned a defensive stop for the Knights.  Baumgardner made 20 saves in the cage for Arcadia, a single-game, single-season best for the sophomore. 

The Knights host league rival Widener University (9-4, 2-3 CC) this Tuesday, Oct. 26 at 4 PM.  Arcadia (9-8, 2-4) will honor their seniors prior to the game time.