Box Score
Grantham, PA — Less than a week ago, Messiah turned a 0-0 halftime deadlock into a 5-0 win at Commonwealth Conference rival Lebanon Valley College.
Tuesday night at Shoemaker Field, it may not have been as drastic, but it was every bit as disastrous for the Flying Dutchmen.
Messiah tacked on a pair of second-half goals — just over a minute and a half apart — to hand Lebanon Valley a 2-0 defeat in Commonwealth Conference Semi-Final action, advancing to host Saturday's league championship game as a result.
A relatively tame 75-plus minutes of soccer was blown open thanks to scores from senior Nick Thompson and junior Derek Black in the game's 79th and 80th minutes, earning the Falcons their 17th straight win of the season.
“I was pleased with how we played tonight,” said Brad McCarty, Messiah head coach. “Lebanon Valley was spirited. They defended well and they countered well, also. I was proud of our guys. I don't think this was an easy game to play, coming off an emotional win against Elizabethtown (College) on Saturday and having just one day of practice to prepare. I thought that there was a chance for us to be flat tonight, and we weren't.”
McCarty held those sentiments despite a mostly benign opening 45 minutes, where neither team had pulse-raising opportunities to score. Both sophomore goalkeeper Jake Berry and Lebanon Valley backstop James Clements finished the first period with one save apiece, as Messiah (17-1) put just one of its nine first-half shots on goal, and Lebanon Valley (9-8-1) one of its two.
“I thought we played hard, I thought we worked hard, but something we did not do well was put our shots on frame,” McCarty said. “The chances were few and far between tonight. If there was one area where we could have done better, it would have been putting our shots on goal.”
At the outset of the second half, the Falcons' shots continued to miss the target, though they were getting closer. Just 10 minutes into the period, senior Geoff Pezon received a through ball and ripped a shot from just outside the Dutchmen's 18-yard box, narrowly skirting the ball outside the far post.
Two minutes later, it was Pezon getting inside again, this time carrying the ball all the way into the LVC six-yard box before flicking it back into the field of play, where senior Nick Thompson ran onto a wide-open shot from the top of the 18-yard box.
His effort was crushed, but sailed high over the goal.
A minute later, Thompson again found space near the top of the Dutchmen's defensive third, this time sending an absolute rocket just inches over the crossbar.
With just over 10 minutes to play in regulation, the score was still 0-0, but the run of play was clearly in Messiah's favor.
In the 79th minute, it broke wide open.
Senior defender Sean Cunningham was able to make an attacking run from his outside back position, cutting an LVC defender to the middle of the field before slotting a brilliant diagonal ball into the Dutchmen 18-yard box. Making a run from the left side, Nick Thompson cut behind the final LVC defender and one-touched the ball back to the right side of the cage, beating Clements — whose momentum was carrying him toward Cunningham's feed.
Clements was able to get a hand on Thompson's shot from close range, but he simply couldn't contort his body enough: Thompson's shot hit the ground after deflecting off Clements, slowly bounding into the back of the net at the 78:02 mark.
As Thompson slid toward the Shoemaker Field stands on a now frost-covered turf, a feeling of anxiety had lifted from over the stadium. The 'if' factor in whether Messiah would score a goal had turned into a 'when.'
“I think (LVC) is a well-coached team, they were organized and they played well,” McCarty said. “In the end, I think our depth was a factor, and it allowed us to create better scoring opportunities in the second half.”
The squad's collective fitness was again evident just 1:38 following Thompson's score, when Pezon collected a feed from Messiah's back line near the midfield stripe.
Pezon made a quick turn and found junior Derek Black leaking out ahead, sending a gorgeous long ball that hit Black in stride.
Black was able to outrace the Dutchmen's back line before taking a few touches and curling a shot around a prone Clements, all but sealing a Falcons' win with just over 10 minutes remaining on the clock.
“I thought we defended well, I thought our play in the midfield was good and I thought we responded well to the challenge,” McCarty said.
Messiah finished with a 17-7 lead in total shots, though just three of those were placed on goal — a season-low mark for the team. Lebanon Valley's organized plan limited the Falcons to just six corner kicks, while Messiah committed nine fouls to LVC's four — the fewest infractions a Falcons' opponent committed all season.
Still, McCarty's group found a way to get it done, advancing to the Commonwealth Championship for the fourth consecutive season. In the Falcons' way to a trophy is — of course — Elizabethtown, which handed Arcadia University a 3-0 defeat Tuesday night as well.
“I think E'Town is a very talented team, and I believe we were fortunate to get three goals on 12 shots (last Saturday),” McCarty said. “I believe (this Saturday's game) is going to be a one-goal game either way.”
Messiah will host the Blue Jays at Shoemaker Field — again — for the Commonwealth Conference Championship and an automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament Saturday at a time to be announced. Check the men's soccer schedule page for game time, as it will be posted once it is known. 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.
