By Matt McDermott, GoMessiah.com student manager
Grantham, PA — Messiah's MAC Conference match-up with the Cougars of Misericordia University could be described through the lens of the word Saturday night at Anderson Field:
Momentum.
In the first three minutes, Messiah rolled out two goals — one apiece from freshmen
Kyle Sproles and
Matt Emerson — and never looked back thereafter, pushing forward to an impressive 13-5 victory that saw nine Falcons score in the contest.
Even after a countering goal by Cougars' sophomore Lee Blair, who netted all five goals for the visitors, Messiah (2-4, 1-1) kept rolling through the first half on face-offs by the dominating performance of junior
J.J. Miller, who in the half went a perfect eight for eight on face-offs. Messiah head coach Geof Weisenborn said he noticed that despite some early miscues, his team focused on the present.
“Every possession was momentum for us,” Weisenborn said. “We did have some negative plays (citing the turnover that led to Blair's goal), but it did not matter for the guys. The all focused on the present and even though the score was 2-1, they kept pressuring and attacking.”
Weisenborn compared this game verses Misericordia to a previous match against Neumann College, a game, despite the 12-8 victory, in which the Falcons did not take advantage of their momentum.
“Tonight was a totally different game,” Weisenborn added. “During the Neumann game, we didn't move forward with our positives. We didn't forget the negatives and improve during the game. Tonight, the guys were focused and kept rolling and building on top of good plays.”
Messiah kept rolling thanks in large part to an impressive defensive first half, as the Falcons' defensemen cleared five of six offensive possessions and killed two man-up penalty possessions for the Cougars.
As a byproduct, instant offense was created for Weisenborn's squad. Messiah fired a total 25 shots in the first half, with five finding the back of the net.
“The guys played really well on both sides,” Weisenborn said. “We had a lot of shots and we cleared the ball well. (Sophomore) Josh (Stewart) played well in the cage (with 10 impressive saves on 19 shots faced), really solidifying our goalie position. This was a true team victory. Everyone shared in it.”
The second half built on the first's offensive impetus.
Six goals in the third period cemented the first Commonwealth Conference victory for the Falcons, helping the team take an 11-3 lead at the period's conclusion. Led by senior
Nate Windon (who scored two of his three goals in the third) the Messiah offense evenly distributed the ball while making impressive solo runs towards the cage —netting all six goals without assists.
Windon's outburst helped propel his season numbers to a team-leading 10 goals on the year.
Senior
John Murdock and freshman
Heath Kupecky continued strong performances from the Falcons' three previous matches into Saturday's contest, as the duo scored two goals each. Murdock assisted on another, for a total of five points on 10 shots for the tandem, bringing their season totals to a collective seven goals and eight assists.
With Messiah's first conference win in the bag, a trip to LVC on Thursday afternoon is now on Weisenborn's mind.
“We're going in feeling like we have to be 2-1 (in conference play) after that game,” Weisenborn said. “We didn't close out Misericordia as well as I wanted to and against a team like LVC, you can't let them back into the game if you have a strong lead. We will work on that in practice and get better, looking for a good game against them, looking for a win.”
As for the state of team dynamics following a 1-4 start overall? Weisenborn said he's encouraged.
“I'm impressed at how well this team has stayed committed,” he said. “It is easy for a team to lose focus and give up after such a tough start to a season, but not these guys. They have shown their commitment to getting better but more importantly, to each other. That is a good sign for us as a whole. It means they aren't settling for where they are and that they are committed to getting better at practice every day.”
Thursday's game at Lebanon Valley College is set for a 4 p.m. face-off.
