Box Score
Grantham, PA – It took only two games for the Messiah men's lacrosse team to match their season-best goal output from a year ago. By the time the final horn rang on Wednesday, the Falcons had tallied 21 goals, including nine in the second quarter, en route to a 21-6 win. The win moved Messiah to 1-1 on the year.
Led by junior
Kevan Schellenberg's five goals and a strong showing from junior
Matt Emerson on face-offs, the Falcons poured it on the visiting La Roche College Red Hawks early and often at a rain-soaked Anderson Field Wednesday night.
In all, 11 different Falcons scored on the night. Sophomore
Nate Nester netted his first three goals of the season and senior
James Baden added three assists to accompany three goals of his own.
La Roche (0-2) was led offensively by midfielder Jean Thouin (2 G, 1 A) and attackman Crawford Healy, who tallied his second hat trick in as many tries in the team's young season.
The Falcons didn't take long to get the scoring started as Baden found a wide open Schellenberg on the crease for the easy score just 1:26 into the game. From there, the Falcons never looked back.
After jumping out to a 5-0 lead with goals from Baden and juniors
Heath Kupecky and
Kyle Sproles, La Roche answered with goals from Healy and Thouin late in the stanza. The Falcons would tally once more just before the end of the quarter, taking a 6-2 lead into the second.
The second quarter brought heavy rains to the turf and a heavy dose of the Falcons' offense. The Red Hawks managed just one goal in the frame, while the Falcons took advantage of strong play from Emerson to gain control of the ball in a “make it, take it” fashion. The Falcons sent seven balls passed goalie Bryce Wells in the final five minutes of the first half, including three in the final minute, to take a 15-3 lead into the break.
The Red Hawks wouldn't get any closer.
The third quarter featured four more Falcon goals, two from the stick of sophomore
Josh Kerr, while freshman
Drew Pagenkopf and sophomore
Mike Mattern added goals in the fourth to bring the total to 21.
“Our guys played well tonight, offensively and defensively,” Messiah head coach Geoff Weisenborn said. “I especially was pleased with the way the first two quarters went.
“When you get up by that many goals early in a game it allows you to get some younger guys out on to the field to get them some playing time," added Weisenborn, in his seventh season leading the Falcons. "It also allows us, as coaches, to get a good look at some of our younger players and a feel for what they can do.”
The Falcons will have two days rest before returning to Anderson Field for a clash against a very talented Ursinus team on Saturday, March 3. Game time is set for 4:00 PM.
