Messiah avenged their only loss of the season and lifted the national championship trophy for the sixth time in program history on Saturday with a 1-0 win over Wlliam Smith.
In a battle of No. 1 vs No. 2, the Falcons took the lead in the 55th minute when Maddie Kohl was played into the box with a through ball by Ellie Lengacher and made it hold up as the game-winner in Greensboro, South Carolina.
The Herons, into the national title game for the first time since winning it all in 2013, nearly found an opener in the sixth minute when Sheila McQuillen got on the end of a dangerous cross in front of goal but Lydia Ewing was there to make the first of three saves on the day after playing the hero in a PK shootout to advance to the final.