Box Score
Grantham, PA — Messiah's season opener against Hobart College was a game the host Falcons would most likely prefer to forget.
Unfortunately, sophomore Josh Wood may keep that from happening.
In addition to suffering a 2-1, overtime defeat to the visiting Statesmen, Messiah may have indefinitely lost its top returning goal scorer to injury, as an early-game tumble placed Wood in a sling for the remainder of the game — an ominous sight to the nearly 2,000 in attendance at Shoemaker Field.
Friday's final result wasn't much better, as Hobart (2-0) used ball control and an aggressive scheme to erase a 1-0 Messiah lead, scoring the golden goal 6:27 into the first overtime to hand the Falcons their first season-opening loss since the 2007 campaign.
“They were better than us tonight, no question,” said Brad McCarty, Messiah head coach. “They outplayed us, they created better chances to score and they were dynamic. They are a talented side. They are strong, and they are very good.”
Hobart — which advanced to the second round of last year's NCAA Tournament — had its efforts aided early by Wood's most inopportune tumble, coming just three and a half minutes into the contest. As Wood chased down a long ball on the left side of the Statesmen 18-yard box, he collided with a defender, landing hard on his left shoulder.
Wood immediately asked to come out of the game, and did not return.
The 2009 Commonwealth Conference Rookie of the Year — and his 19 collegiate goals — was a bystander.
“It didn't look good,” McCarty said, “and it is obviously disappointing to lose Josh.”
Whether or not it was related to Wood's departure, Messiah's play lacked its typical precision in the following moments. Hobart began interrupting varying Falcons' passing sequences and slowly put pressure on the hosts' young backfield, registering seven first half shots. Twice, senior goalkeeper Kyle Fulks made noteworthy saves, collecting a well-hit free kick from 30 yards out in the 11th minute and snuffing out a Hobart breakaway opportunity 13 minutes later.
Another Hobart fast break was pushed wide, and when the visitors rattled off three straight corner kicks in the span of three minutes, McCarty said he was pleased the score was still deadlocked at zeroes.
“In reality, it could have been 3-0 in the first half,” McCarty said.
Perhaps surprisingly, it was Messiah that registered the first period's only marker.
Following the last of Hobart's three corners, the Falcons cleared the ball down the right side of the field, and junior Trevor Lee sent a long cross to freshman Josiah Groff. As Hobart junior goalkeeper Charlie Hale raced out to challenge, he and Groff collided — the ball squirting just a few yards away from the pair.
Groff quickly got to his feet and hit a slow roller into the empty Statesmen's net from nearly 25 yards out, a shot that seemingly took forever to cross the endline.
“Hobart shifted hard and swarmed the ball,” McCarty said. “If you're going to press as hard as they do, there's an opportunity to get behind and counter (attack). Josiah got a fortuitous goal against the run of play, and we were very lucky to be ahead at the half. We made some adjustments at halftime, and I think those worked for the first 25 minutes of the second half. The last 15 minutes or so, it was end to end. Whoever had the ball was dangerous.”
The Statesmen proved to be more so.
Utilizing an incredible, 11-4 second-half advantage in total shots, Hobart pushed hard for the equalizer. The Statesmen's first real chance came in the 72nd minute, when junior Tommy Hayes clanged a shot off the right post. The rebound caromed out to freshman Eli Vitale, though Vitale's ensuing shot sailed wide right.
Just three minutes later, the visitors were again knocking on the Messiah door, as Fulks punched away an absolute rocket to the near post from 30 yards out — keeping the slate clean.
Hobart's sixth corner kick of the game would do the trick at the 76th minute, however.
As the Statesmen's Michael Moulton swung the ball into the box, Fulks leapt high to secure it, only to be bumped in midair. As he came down, the ball popped loose, and a scramble ensued in front of the Messiah frame.
Hobart's Lukas Petersen then apparently pushed the ball over the endline — the center official blowing his whistle as players continued to tangle in the goal mouth.
“They had a lot of corners,” McCarty said of Hobart's seven total attempts. “(Moulton) hit a dangerous ball, and we didn't handle it well.”
Neither team had an outstanding chance at ending the game in regulation, but it was Messiah that nearly wrapped things up early in the initial overtime period. After Lee won a ball on the right side, he dribbled downfield and sent a gorgeous cross to the far post — where freshman Drew Frey was making a run.
Frey came up just short of making solid contact with the ball in his attempt for a header, and Hobart's pressuring defense had avoided a game-ending chink.
Just three minutes later, Messiah's backline would not be as fortunate.
As the Falcons attempted to advance the ball out of their defensive half, Hobart's Kevin McCarthy swiped the sphere near midfield, and began marching down the center of the pitch — unmarked.
When he arrived at the top of the Messiah 18-yard box, he slotted a pass to teammate Tommy Hayes, and Hayes finished beautifully: Sitting just inside of 18 yards on the right flank, Hayes sent a low, hard shot into the meat of the net, setting off a massive on-field celebration that failed to mesh with the eerie silence from the Shoemaker Field stands.
“They broke pressure and found a guy posting up,” McCarty said of the final score. “He rolled our defender and pounded it home.
“They've got a good goalkeeper, they have solid backs and their forwards were a handful,” he continued. “They deserved to win tonight.”
The loss was Messiah's first season-opening defeat since a 1-0 downer to Greensboro College in 2007, while Friday was the Falcons' first loss at Shoemaker Field since a 2-1 defeat to York College back on Oct. 8, 2008. In addition to a 19-10 advantage in total shots, Hobart finished with a 7-5 disparity in corner kicks and a 15-6 difference in total fouls, further evidence of the team's aggressiveness.
“Tactically it was a difficult match-up for us,” McCarty said. “I thought when we did connect passes, we found guys that were open and were difficult to defend. If you play quickly enough against a pressuring team like Hobart, you'll find guys open. When you don't, they make it very tough. Clearly, that's an area that we need to improve on.”
With or without Wood in the lineup, Messiah will return to the Shoemaker pitch tomorrow, hosting Fredonia State University at 7 p.m. The Devils opened their 2010 slate as well Friday, falling to host Franklin & Marshall College by a 2-0 count.
“We've got to come back and fight for our lives at this point,” McCarty said. “Another tough opponent is coming in, and we'll have to be ready physically and mentally. We don't have a choice.”
