Grantham, PA — It was the type of play that defied description.
It was also the type of play that most accurately portrayed Messiah's 1-1, double-overtime tie result against The College of New Jersey Saturday night at Shoemaker Field.
Just 20 seconds into the second overtime, the Falcons took the opening tap and marched downfield, sending a ball into the Lions' box. From that point, the ball was batted around, somehow getting to the feet of both sophomore Geoff Pezon and freshman Trevor Lee inside the goal mouth.
With the ball teetering on the endline just inside the near post, Lee shielded the sphere as a pair of TCNJ defenders did their best to poke it away.
It seemed to last for an eternity. Lee, with both hands touching the post, needed to scoot the ball just inches to end the game in a Messiah victory. Instead — and this is speculation — it appeared TCNJ's Matt Erny, on all fours, was able to horse-kick the ball off the endline and out of danger, leaving Lee and Pezon with hands on their heads and a fall break crowd of just over 1,000 spectators yearning for what might have been.
“That was crazy,” said Brad McCarty, Messiah assistant coach.
It was also a microcosm of how Messiah's evening went.
Despite out-shooting TCNJ by a 22-4 difference — including an 8-2 disparity in both the second half and the second OT — the Falcons were forced to accept the 1-1 final, giving up a score to the Lions early in the second half after tacking their score on the board just six minutes into play.
Saturday's result followed a 2-1 loss to third-ranked York College Wednesday, concluding an emotional week for the Falcons. It was the first time Messiah had two consecutive non-win decisions since the 2003 season, when the club tied Moravian College 0-0 and then lost to Gettysburg College 1-0 over a similar four-day stretch.
“I'm not sure what's more disappointing,” McCarty said following Saturday's event. “How we played or the result. On one hand, we had a number of chances. To not finish those is disappointing. On the other, we definitely lacked rhythm in our play tonight. That was evident in our ball movement and evident in creating scoring opportunities.”
It appeared that scoring would be no issue for Messiah (9-1-2), as the Falcons took a 1-0 lead just 6:11 into the contest. Pezon sent a straight ball to a diagonally cutting senior Matt Dorsey, and Dorsey first timed a laser to the far post with his right foot.
For the remainder of the first half, little seemed to change. Messiah kept TCNJ (6-6-2) from registering any shots in the first 45 minutes, though its quality chances were limited on the Lions' goal (five total Falcons shots in the first half).
The complexion of the game changed permanently in the first five minutes of the second period, however, as a failed clear from Messiah's back line resulted in an equalizer for TCNJ. The Lions' Anthony DiPalmo was able to get free with the ball on the left side, placing a well-struck ball that beat Messiah junior keeper Jared Clugston to the far post. Only Clugston's sixth allowed goal of the year, McCarty called the shot “unsaveable.”
Now forced into catch-up mode, Messiah did its best to pull back ahead. The aforementioned 8-2 advantage in second-half shots yielded numerous opportunities — as did an 11-2 advantage in total corner kicks, with five coming in the second period — but none would come to fruition.
TCNJ had much to do with that, consistently breaking up Messiah buildup opportunities in the midfield. And for as much as the Falcons were pounding away looking for the game-winner, the Lions may have had the purest chance to end things, as Chris Nelan broke free on a counter attack and found himself in a one on one situation with Clugston.
Clugston was able to make a diving save on the shot, the ball being cleared away after deflecting off his body.
“I thought TCNJ defended well,” McCarty said. “They had an impact on our ability to get behind (them).”
After recording just one shot in the first overtime period, the Falcons did all they could do in the second extra stanza save for finding the game winner. The aforementioned sequence at the outset of the final period was by far the best chance to end things, but two corners and a free kick just outside the TCNJ 18-yard box were quality opportunities unheeded as well.
The Falcons nearly came up with a made-for-Hollywood finish at the end of the second OT, as sophomore Nick Thompson took a last-ditch through ball and headed the ball toward the Lions frame as the clock expired, the ball sailing just over the crossbar.
“In relationship to Wednesday's loss, this was kind of a case of lost momentum,” McCarty said. “We've got to get it back. We always want to get better, always want opportunities to improve. We have an opportunity to do that Wednesday.”
Messiah will return to MAC Commonwealth play then, when the team travels to Lebanon Valley College. Match time is set for 4 p.m.
