Williamsport, PA — The Messiah College men's lacrosse team remained unbeaten in MAC Conference play Wednesday night, hanging on for a narrow, 12-11 double-overtime decision at Lycoming College.
After holding as much as an 8-3 lead early on and a 10-6 advantage after three quarters, Messiah (6-4, 3-0) watched the host Warriors put together a 5-0 run in the meat of the fourth period, actually taking an 11-10 lead with just under seven minutes to play in regulation.
The Falcons responded with clutch play late, however, scoring the game-tying goal with 5:22 in regulation and eventually capturing the golden goal with 3:19 left in the second overtime period, averting what would have been a “very disappointing” loss according to head coach Geof Weisenborn.
“We learned a lot tonight about ourselves, about what we need to improve on and the importance of playing a full game,” Weisenborn said. “It's nice to be able to learn and still get a win. I'm sure we still would have taken lessons from tonight had we lost, but it would have been much tougher to accept.”
Weisenborn's club was able to maintain control of the initial portion of the game thanks in large part to face off wins, as the team captured nine of a total 13 opportunities in the first half of play. Those decisions led to the Falcons' early 8-3 advantage, as junior Jeff Ziegler scored three first-half tallies to lead Messiah. Ziegler scored back-to-back unassisted goals to help the squad to an early 3-1 lead out of the gate — sophomore Brent Stewart opened the scoring just two and a half minutes into play — while Ziegler took an assist from sophomore John Murdock to score his third goal in a 5-0 run that spanned the majority of the second quarter. Stewart again started the scoring pace with an unassisted goal at the period's 12:29 mark, while a score from Murdock and two goals from senior Nick Ricucci provided Messiah with an 8-3 lead at the first half's 5:48 mark.
Lycoming was able to tack on a late score to pull within 8-4 at the intermission, but the hosts' major push had yet to come: After trading goals to open the second half and stay within a 10-6 difference, the Warriors scored five straight at the start of the fourth quarter, taking an 11-10 lead and stunning Weisenborn's squad.
The last of Lycoming's streak occurred with just 6:49 left to play in regulation, as the Warriors' Steven Henz took a pass from Dan Cannon and slipped a shot between the pipes for Lycoming's only lead of the game.
“We were winning face offs in the first half, and we did a nice job of slowing down their offense because we were limiting their touches,” Weisenborn said. “We then started splitting face offs in the second half and they really got into a groove scoring and getting the ball back. We made a couple mental errors, and they finished some shots.”
Lycoming turned the tables in the face-off X during the second half of regulation, winning eight of 13 chances. The Warriors' Mike Doherty was responsible for 13 of his team's total 14 face-off wins, earning praise from Weisenborn.
“(Doherty) was impressive,” Weisenborn said. “He won four or five in a row, and they had all the momentum. We knew that Lycoming could score it, as their lowest point total of the year (coming in) was nine points. They can put the ball away, and they showed that in the fourth quarter.”
Fortunately for Messiah, Ricucci was not finished on the offensive end. The team's leading scorer found an opening in the Lycoming crease and slammed home a pass from Ziegler at the fourth period's 5:22 mark, tying the game at 11-11 and giving Messiah new life.
After a rugged final five minutes of regulation, the Falcons then battled through a full overtime. Lycoming captured the initial face off of the second extra session, but Messiah was able to break a clear and score in transition, as Ziegler capped his sixth goal of the game with 3:19 remaining.
“Our defense did a nice job late in the game,” Weisenborn said. “They had a lot of momentum after they went up 11-10, but Nick's goal really ended that. For us to tie them back up so quickly, especially after they had expended all that energy to get a lead, was big for us. When we went into overtime, it wasn't about momentum anymore. We were fortunate enough to make some big plays to come away with the win.”
Ricucci added three goals to complement Ziegler's six, while Stewart added two and Murdock one. Freshman J.J. Miller claimed 11 of 22 face offs against the talented Doherty, picking up a team-leading nine ground balls as well. Senior Ted Oberg finished a lengthy day in goal with 10 saves.
Messiah will now turn its attention to what has shaped up to be a large MAC contest Saturday, as the Falcons will host Fairleigh Dickinson University-Florham, which boasts a 2-1 record in conference play. Game time is set for 1 p.m.
