By Travis Galaska, GoMessiah.com reporter
Grantham, PA — Someone forgot to tell Messiah head coach Brad McCarty and the rest of the Falcons men's soccer team to bring their swim trunks to Saturday's Commonwealth Conference matchup against Alvernia University.
“That was just ridiculous,” said McCarty in an effort to describe the chaotic match. “The whole thing was just a circus out there at times.”
In a game probably better described as outdoor water polo with your feet, the Falcons slipped and slid their way around Shoemaker Field en route to an 8-0 win over the Crusaders, keeping their average tally for the last four games at well above five goals apiece and notching their eighth shutout of the year.
The Falcons also did a good job of sharing the wealth, as six different players tallied the eight goals, and three different Falcons got their first goals of the season. Incredibly, the Falcons also recorded a season-high in shots as well on a rain-filled afternoon, putting 41 balls in the direction of the frame.
It was all overshadowed, perhaps, by the deteriorating condition of the playing surface, which at times played as one giant swamp land.
Nevertheless, Messiah (14-1, 4-0) pressed on. After just missing the post and the crossbar early on in the first half, the Falcons got on the board in the 13th minute. After earning a corner kick, sophomore Derek Black sent a great cross into the near side of the goal box from the left side of the field. Fellow sophomore Danny Thompson got a foot on the ball, but it was redirected by a Crusaders' defender and slipped across the goal mouth to the far post, where junior Geoff Pezon was waiting and flicked the ball into the back of the net for an early 1-0 Falcon lead.
After a few more near misses by the Falcon offense, they were able to connect again in the 26th minute. Sophomore Tom Renko sent a cross in from the left side of the field to a waiting Josh Wood on the far side inside the goal box, where the freshman sent a strong header back across the net to the left side and in, doubling the lead to 2-0.
From this point on in the half, what had started as a drizzle turned into an absolute downpour, and only continued to intensify. In a span of 10 minutes, a field that had been damp and soggy turned into a lake, with a moat of sorts running all the way around the field, between the turf and the track. Slide tackles threw up rooster tails of water, and the perfect white uniforms of the Falcons were soaked and brown within moments of entering the field.
For both teams, every pass along the ground went about three yards, then stopped dead in a puddle, no matter how hard the ball was kicked. Both teams worked to get accustomed to the conditions but, try as they might, neither Messiah nor Alvernia (4-11, 1-5) could find the back of the net for the rest of the half, and the score remained at 2-0.
During an extended halftime, both coaches were seen conversing with game officials, assumedly about the possibility of calling the game. At this point, however, the rain had all but ended, and play continued.
Even though the rain had stopped, the damage was done for Shoemaker.
“I would've understood if they (the officials) had called the game,” McCarty said. “But we were able to get the game in, at the expense of the Shoe.”
As the second half started, it was obvious that the field had turned into one gigantic puddle. Somehow, though, the Falcons were able to work their second-half prowess, even through all the water.
It started within the opening minute of the half, as — after being awarded a free kick right along the right sideline — Pezon played the ball straight along the sideline to senior Jevon Gondwe. Gondwe took a step and sent a cross all the way into the goal box, where senior Brett Faro was open and waiting. Faro rose up and sent a header directly into the back of the net for his first goal of the season, quickly extending the Falcon lead to 3-0 at the 45:48 mark.
Six minutes later, the Falcons would score again, as junior Nick Thompson sent a ball from the midfield down the left side of the field for fellow junior Keaton Kasiguran. Kasiguran carried down the side unmarked and sent a great cross into the box, where Wood was waiting again. This time, Wood dove full out for the ball, landing face-first in a gigantic mud puddle in the process, sending a powerful header into the center of the net, and the Falcons were off and running.
In the 59th minute, sophomore Trevor Lee took control of the ball low on the right side of the field, and used a smart dribble to fake out a defender and get open right along the end line. Lee dribbled along the line toward goal and put a point blank shot toward the net. Crusader sophomore keeper Drew Gilbert got a piece of the shot, but the power easily carried the ball across the line, and the Falcons were up 5-0.
After a brief respite for the crusaders, the Falcons poured it on again late in the half to finish out the game. In the 82nd minute, freshman Logan Thompson notched the first goal of his collegiate career. Lee got control of another ball down on the right side of the field, and this time sent a cross to the center of the penalty box. Thompson, coming off the bench at right wing in the second half, redirected the cross with a powerful volley into the beck center of the net, making the lead 6-0.
Four minutes later, freshman Dan Squire would get his first collegiate goal as well. After a turnover in the Crusaders' offensive zone, junior Mark Jeschke received a pass and had a breakaway down the left side of the field. As he got to the top of the penalty box, Jeschke cut back across the field to the right, allowing an Alvernia defender to overrun the ball and give Jeschke a wide open look from the top right of the penalty box. Jeschke shot back across his body with a wicked right-footer, but the ball clipped off the post and right back to the center of the penalty box. Squire, who had been following the play, got to the rebound first and pounded it past the already prone Crusaders keeper and into the back of the net, making the score 7-0.
With just two minutes left in the game, Renko got hold of the ball in the center of the Falcons' offensive third and sent a beautiful chipped through ball over the top of the Crusaders' defense for Lee to get to. Lee was able to beat the onrushing keeper and send a one-time chip over his head and down into the back of the net, closing up the scorebook at 8-0.
Messiah finished the afternoon with a 41-2 advantage in total shots, 21 of which were on frame. The squad's six second-half goals further strengthened Messiah's second-half dominance, as the Falcons have now outscored opponents 42-6 in second periods this season.
“It was tough out there. You couldn't pass the ball, and there was standing water on 80 percent of the field,” McCarty said. “But, we did have a lot of shots, and we put about half of those on goal, and that 50 percent on goal is good for us.”
Sadly, Shoemaker Field won't get a needed break, as two more games are slated to take place on the pitch over the next 72 hours. The men's team will be back in action Monday night, hosting league rival Arcadia University at 7 p.m. The women's team will then host Arcadia Tuesday night at 7 p.m. Ironically, both games are make-up dates for Messiah's Centennial Homecoming weekend, which was postponed on Oct. 17 due to unplayable field conditions.
