Collegeville, PA — So much for easing into the 2009 season.
Messiah scored with just 28 seconds remaining in regulation Friday night, defeating host Ursinus College by an 8-7 score in the most dramatic of fashions.
In a hotly-contested season opener for both clubs, it was sophomore J.J. Miller who would be the man of the hour, taking a pass from junior Nate Windon and cashing in the game-winner with well under a minute to go, thwarting an almost certain overtime conclusion.
“It was an exciting finish, no question,” said Geof Weisenborn, Messiah head coach. “We're happy to get a win against a team like Ursinus, no matter how you do it. We knew coming in that Urinsus had a very good team coming back this year. I think that, as this season progresses, we'll look back and realize just how good of a win this was for us.”
Miller's fantastic finish was just one of a multitude of highlights for Messiah (1-0), as the Falcons appeared poised to put things away early on. Senior Jeff Ziegler, Windon and Miller all scored in the game's first four minutes — the latter two with a man advantage — giving the visitors a quick, 3-0 lead.
Ursinus (0-1) responded with three straight scores throughout the second period, however, forcing Messiah into 15 first-half turnovers — en route to a total 28 giveaways on the night — and a 3-3 deadlock at the break.
“I think we had the ball on offense a total of two times in the second quarter,” Weisenborn said. “Ursinus is perennially a very tough team defensively. They pressure you all over the field. Early, we forced them into some mistakes and took advantage of their pressure, but it really began to wear on us as the first half continued. We talked about some adjustments at halftime, and from that point it really was a one-goal game.”
Following a Bears' score just a minute and a half into the third period to increase the hosts' lead to 4-3, Messiah responded with a big push. Miller scored off an assist from freshman James Baden with 13:24 to play in the stanza, while Windon tacked on a goal just three minutes later — this one coming off a feed from Ziegler.
Ursinus responded with a pair of goals to make it a 6-5 ballgame heading into the fourth quarter, but Windon was there to tie the game on a brilliant individual move with just 7:21 remaining in regulation. Faking down the side, the junior attack split a pair of defenders and finished near the cage, making it a 6-6 game after nearly 10 minutes of trailing by a 6-5 score.
“That may have been the biggest goal of the game,” Weisenborn said of Windon's rip. “That really got us back mentally.”
Perhaps feeding off newfound emotion, Ziegler scored his second of the game just three minutes later, giving Messiah a 7-6 lead with 4:25 remaining. Ursinus was able to knot things up at the 3:06 mark — the Bears' Eric Farris scored for the second time off an assist from Jason Orlando — setting the stage for Miller's last-minute heroics.
After a Messiah attack was thwarted, the Falcons forced a turnover on the ensuing Bears' clear. Windon scooped up the ball and swung it to Miller, who was perched on the far side.
Miller, who claimed MAC Rookie of the Year honors last year, knew exactly what to do. The sturdy sophomore got his hands free and fired a shot from about 10 yards out, getting the ball past Ursinus' goalie Tony Aquilino and setting off a celebration on the Falcons' sideline.
Messiah was able to dodge a last-ditch attempt from the hosts as the clock expired.
Miller and Windon each finished with a game-high three goals, while Ziegler added two cores to go with two assists. Sophomore Pete Owens also dished out a pair of helpers. Messiah was able to overcome its 28 turnovers thanks in large part to winning 14 of the game's 19 face-offs, with Miller successful in 12 out of 16 opportunities.
Senior Greg Latimer picked up the win in cage, recording 20 saves in 55:43 of work.
“Greg had an incredible game in goal,” Weisenborn said. “He made the saves he need to make. We were very fortunate to come away with the win despite the amount of turnovers we had. There's something about a team that finds a way to win games like these. It's a good trait to display, especially this early in the year.”
Things will get no easier for Messiah, as the team opens its home season Wednesday afternoon against Washington College, a club ranked sixth in the latest USILA Top 20 Poll. Game time against the Shoremen is set for 4 p.m. at Anderson Field.
“Wednesday will be more about us than Washington,” Weisenborn said. “We need to be focusing on what we need to do better. We're excited about this type of an opportunity so early, though. It should be fun.”
