GRANTHAM, Pa. - The No. 13 Spartans ran out of steam late in a 17-10 loss at No. 12 Messiah on Saturday in the MAC Commonwealth Championship Game.

Team records

#13/16 York 12-3

#12/8 Messiah 16-0

How it happened

The scoring pace started out fast and furious as the two teams combined for six goals in the first nine minutes as the Spartans and Falcons played to a 3-3 tie. Chloe MacDonald, Jenna Cholowinski and Celly Arthur eached tallied a goal for York on the opening run.

Messiah took a two-goal lead with 2:19 left to play in the first half following a 3-1 run. The Spartans quickly answered back as Cholowinski won back-to-back draw controls which led directly to goals as the Green and White tied up the score, 6-6, heading into halftime. Riley DiFiore weathered a storm of Falcon shots in the first half and gave the Spartans a puncher's chance with eight saves.

Messiah came out strong to start the second half with a pair of goals inside the first three minutes, but the Spartans answered back with a goal of their own in the opening three minutes. Then, York pulled even, 8-8, in the sixth minute of the second half as Cholowinski cashed in on the man-advantage.

Messiah ripped off three unanswered goals to take an 11-8 just past the midway point of the second half. York then cut the deficit to two with 11:21 left, but could no longer keep up with the Falcons' scoring pace as they compiled six goals in the final 10 minutes.

Up next

The Spartans await their fate with the NCAA selection show scheduled for Monday with three at-large bids up for grabs in this year's tournament.