Grantham, PA — After suffering a pair of road losses against teams ranked in the nation's Top 25 to open the 2008 season, Wednesday's home opener against neighboring rival York College was primed to be a defining moment for the Messiah College men's lacrosse team.
In retrospect, the Falcons can hope it was anything but.
Messiah (0-3) stumbled to a season-high 14 failed clear opportunities in a 5-8 loss to the Spartans, being outshot by a 48-38 count in the process. York (3-1, 1-0) jumped out to an early 3-0 lead and hung on late, keeping the Falcons from scoring in the fourth period for the second time this season.
It was clear from the start that Messiah had left its best play elsewhere for the day, as York spaced out three goals over the course of the game's first 15 minutes. The Falcons, meanwhile, found transition difficult during that span, clearing the ball from its own defensive third just three times in 11 tries.
The team finally settled in during the second quarter, playing arguably its best lacrosse immediately before half time. Senior Bryce Geiman scored his third goal of the season just a minute into the action, while classmate Nick Ricucci took a pass from sophomore John Murdock to blast his team-leading 11th score of the year just two and a half minutes later during a man-up situation.
After York quelled the run with a score at the 5:58 mark, Messiah tacked on two more points at the 4:45 and 4:28 points, pulling to a 4-4 tie at the intermission.
Following traded scores in the third period, York would take command in the fourth.
A tough move in traffic from York's Rob Marine gave the Spartans a 6-5 lead with just 9:08 to play, while unforced errors would doom Messiah: The Falcons finished just 17 of 31 in clear attempts on the afternoon, a stat offsetting a 12 to five difference in face-offs won.
As time continued to evaporate, Messiah began to double-team the ball, eventually leading to a pair of York scores in the game's final 4:23. With 1:48 to play senior goalie Ted Oberg came out of the net looking to force a turnover, allowing the Spartans' Chris Norman an easy path to score and put the game effectively out of reach.
Oberg was without question Messiah's biggest bright spot on the day, collecting 20 saves while going the distance in frame. No Falcon scored more than one goal in the game, with several of the team's 38 shots rattling off the pipes in heartbreaking fashion.
Both teams capitalized for a goal apiece during extra-man opportunities. Sophomore Brent Stewart again led the Falcons in face-offs won, claiming 10 in 13 tries.
Messiah will return to the field Saturday, when the team travels to a neutral site (Boys' Latin School) to take on Franklin & Marshall College. Game time is set for 1 p.m.
