Center Valley, PA — The third-ranked Messiah College men's soccer team threw a major wrench into the plans of host DeSales University Thursday afternoon, scoring two early-period goals en route to a 3-0 win at DUC Soccer Field.
Facing a Bulldogs squad that appeared ready to defend its third of the field vehemently while waiting for opportunities to counter, Messiah (5-0-1) forced an early change of strategy from the hosts, scoring just six and a half minutes into play.
A goal four minutes into the second half further complicated matters for DeSales (4-4), as the Falcons recorded their second straight shut-out win in the process.
“It was good to get an early goal against a team we knew was going to defend us well and hard,” said Dave Brandt, Messiah head coach. “That (early score) took away some of the pressure and opened the game up a bit.”
Sophomore Nick Thompson was the beneficiary of an assist from classmate Geof Pezon just 6:34 into the action, as Thompson made a run through the midfield before hitting a low, hard grounder from about 20 yards out to make it a 1-0 game.
As Messiah continued to control the majority of the ball, it's insurance score would not come until shortly after the intermission, as Pezon notched his team-leading ninth goal of the season at the 49:00 mark. The scrappy midfielder won a ball on the right side of the field, then cut the ball back to the middle before launching another low liner from the top of the 18-yard box — beating DeSales' keeper to the near post.
Freshman Trevor Lee put things further out of reach with just over 30 minutes to play, scoring another 20-yarder from the midfield after beating two defenders at the 58:51 mark.
When it was over, Messiah had attempted 22 shots to DeSales' six, attempting all seven of the match's corner kicks. NCAA qualifiers in two of the last three years, DeSales was shut out for only the second time of the year.
“I thought we played well and did what we wanted to do,” Brandt said. “To get a 3-0 win on the road is a good result for us.”
Messiah will remain on the road Saturday, traveling to St. Mary's College of Maryland for a 3 p.m. kick-off. That contest is the last before a five-game home stand, encompassing nearly three weeks of calendar.
“Everyone is good when you're playing on the road,” Brandt said. “We'll continue to look to improve.”
