Rowan completes second half comeback to beat No. 1 Messiah

Olivia Giordano has scored plenty of crucial goals for Rowan in her four years in Glassboro but few have been as big as the game-winner she scored to dethrone No. 1 Messiah on Wednesday to complete an improbable second half comeback.

Coming in at 11-0, Messiah had only conceded trailed only once all season – a 12th minute strike by Misericordia’s Olivia Maniskas – and held a 1-0 halftime lead on a 26th minute opener from Mia Libby.

Shortly after halftime, Giordano (Millville, N.J.) played provider when she set up Bella Moore (Marlton, N.J.) for a shot that was initially saved by put-back off a rebound by Elaina Corson (Hainesport, N.J.). The goal was the second conceded by the Falcons and set up a thrilling game-winner in the 68th minute. The play was set up by Cali Sloan’s ball down field that bounced over Messiah keeper Ava Wert and fell to Giordano, who was there to tap it in for her 47th career goal and 20th game winner.

Giordano is three away from becoming the third player in Prof history to hit the 50-goal mark and is now 10 away from matching all-time leading goal-scorer Jess Babice. She has six regular season games left to chase that mark while her team is 9-1-0, in the national rankings (No. 17 in the latest poll) and top of the table in the NJAC with a 3-0 record.

The Profs didn’t lose a game last year until the final day of the regular season to No. 10 TCNJ and were one and done in both the NJAC and NCAA tournaments but they now have a feather in their cap with the upending of six-time national champions Messiah.

The match came exactly three years to the day to the last time Rowan beat a ranked opponent, No. 10 Montclair State and was the first win for Rowan over Messiah in three meetings. Messiah won the last meeting 3-0 in Grantham in 2015 and beat the Profs 4-0 in their only other visit to Glassboro in 2010.