By Travis Galaska, GoMessiah.com reporter
Grantham, PA — For first-year head coach Brad McCarty, there's no time like the present to get that first piece of post-season hardware.
After Messiah completed its 3-0 drubbing of fourth-seeded Lebanon Valley College in one of Wednesday's Commonwealth Conference Semi-Finals, he'll get that chance — in front of what promises to be a huge home crowd, no less — Saturday evening in the league championship tilt against Arcadia University.
“We've talked about this a bit for the past few weeks,” McCarty said after Wednesday night's win. “It's been one of our goals to have the championship game here this Saturday at home, and it's good to come through on that.”
After defeating Lebanon Valley (10-7-2) by a five spot at home in the regular season, Messiah (18-1) wasted no time going back on the offensive against their conference semi-final foes, posting 29 total shots against the Dutchmen on a cold evening at Shoemaker Field.
The Falcons' attack took shape just four minutes into the game, as senior Brett Faro wound up with the ball on his foot on top of the penalty box. With a wide open look at goal, Faro ripped a lining shot straight on goal, which LVC senior keeper Andrew Raudensky was able to stop momentarily. The ball then bounded off his chest and straight up in the air, however, and freshman Josh Wood raced in and out-jumped Raudensky to get a head on the ball from point blank range.
His shot sailed just wide of the right post and out of play, but it would set the tempo for the night.
Four minutes after that, junior Geoff Pezon got in on the action. After getting hold of the ball down on the right end line, Pezon turned toward goal and got into the penalty box. From there, he turned back up field and toward the top of the penalty box, gaining some free space away from the LVC defense. Upon reaching the top of the box, Pezon swiveled his body and let a wicked left-footer off with its curve drawing the ball towards the left upper 90 of the frame. It was just not enough though, and the ball once again sailed over the end line.
In the 26th minute of the opening half, it was the Dutchmen's turn to get some semblance of an attack going. After taking a corner kick from the right side of the field, the ball bounded around in the box, and wound up eventually on the foot of an LVC attacker inside the penalty box. The player sent a soft shot toward the far post, where sophomore Danny Thompson stood in front of it and chested the ball out of the goal mouth. The ball sailed straight to the foot of another attacker on the left side of the box though, and he ripped a second, firmer shot to the far post. This time, it was senior keeper Jared Clugston who made the save and held the ball to end the danger.
It was after this possession that the Falcons started to turn the game in their favor for good. It all started just five minutes later, when sophomore Trevor Lee took hold of the ball deep down in the right corner of the offensive zone. Lee sent in a low cross to the goal box, where freshman JP Fulton was waiting on the near post. The ball reached Fulton first, and he spun to put his back to the goal. At the same time, he let the ball behind his feet, and sent in a beautiful side-footed one-timer to the back of the net with his right foot, sending the fans into a frenzy and netting Messiah its first lead of the night — one the team would not relinquish.
With that goal, the Falcons showed a strong increase in possession, but LVC did a good job of shutting down the offensive chances for the rest of the half, and the teams went into the halftime break with Messiah sitting semi-comfortably on a 1-0 lead.
“They did a great job of compacting the midfield,” McCarty said of Lebanon Valley's strategy. “Sometimes we were able to attack effectively, sometimes we weren't.”
Once the second half started, however, it became very evident that it was the Falcons who were going to carry the rest of the game. Just eight minutes into the period, a Dutchmen turnover in the midfield led to a break down the left wing for sophomore Derek Black. Black, left unmarked, sailed all the way down the left side of the field and into the box alone, and upon nearing the end line sent a low cross right into the goal box.
Wood had come in alone from the right half of the penalty box, and was rushing in to tap the ball past the keeper, but an LVC defender actually assisted, sliding down from the center of the box to try to get in the way of the pass. Instead, the ball clipped off both players' feet and into the back of the net, making it a 2-0 lead for the Falcons.
Just five minutes later, Messiah would get on the board again for the last time in the match. This time, Pezon took a pass in the center of the offensive third and dribbled forward to get inside the left half of the box. With an open look, Pezon let another left-footed blast go, one of the Falcons' 29 shots in the game. Raudensky was able to get a hand on the ball, diving to his left, but it bounded away and continued to the far post. Wood, again coming in from the right side of the box, was left all alone from point blank range with a wide open net looming.
He did not miss.
Wood sent the ball dead center into the net, closing out the books at 3-0. It was the freshman's fifth consecutive multiple-goal game, now leading the team with 16 goals in 19 games played.
“Even though they compacted the midfield, they also provided us a lot of space behind them to attack,” McCarty said. “We had a lot of good looks, and their keep made some good saves.”
With the win, the Falcons press on into the Commonwealth Conference Championship against second-seeded Arcadia (13-5-3), who defeated Elizabethtown College by a 1-0 score in Wednesday's other league semi-final. It will provide a rematch from Messiah's 8-0 whipping on Oct. 26, though McCarty claims things will be much more competitive with a title on the line.
“(Coach) Rob (Nydick) will have his guys ready to go on Saturday,” McCarty said.
Game time is set for 7:30 p.m. Saturday night at Shoemaker Field. Admission for all Commonwealth Conference post-season games is $5 for adults, $4 for seniors and $2 for students. Children under the age of six are admitted free of charge.
