Box Score
Grantham, PA - It was far from pretty for most of the night, but the Messiah Falcons were able to scrap out an 11-10 win over the visiting Lebanon Valley Dutchmen Thursday evening on Anderson Field.
Despite trailing for much of the game, and a multitude of unforced turnovers, the Falcons were able to do enough against the Dutchmen to start their slate of Commonwealth Conference games with a record of 1-0.
The Falcons took their first-- and only-- lead of the game with just 4:23 left in the game on junior
Heath Kupecky's second goal of the night. Kupecky's goal came amidst a five-goal Messiah run that would put the hosts up 10-8 with just under 3:30 remaining.
However, the end of the game was not without late theatrics.
The Dutchmen's Jordan Mayr scored at the 2:56 mark of the fourth to pull within 10-9, but leading-scorer
Kevan Schellenberg and the Falcon offense capitalized on a Dutchmen penalty just 30 seconds later to again increase the lead to two goals.
Malik Pedroso (4g, 2a), reigning MAC Conference Rookie of the Year, tallied his fourth goal of the contest at the 1:08 mark to pull the visitors to 11-10.
To many in attendance, the last 1:08 of the game seemed like forever.
Pedroso drew a one-minute illegal body check penalty from the Falcons'
Jared Nies after scoring, meaning the Falcons would have to play man-down for essentially the remainder of the game. Long-stick defender
Sean Keiper took the ensuing faceoff, but the Falcons failed to gain possession, giving the Dutchmen a chance to tie it in the waning moments.
The Falcons found a bit of fortune as LVC's Jordan Mayr sent a high-bouncing shot towards the net that beat the Messiah keeper, only to ring off the crossbar and into senior
Josh Buswell's stick.
Instinctively, Buswell attempted to run out the clear and the final seconds of the game, but a trio of Dutchmen defenders collapsed onto the senior midfielder. With just under eight seconds left to in regulation, the Dutchmen's Ryan Lanigan gained control of the ball near the midfield stripe and raced towards the Falcons' net. Senior
Steve Kozuhowski (10 saves) was unable to block the shot, as the ball bounced off the crossbar once again-- cleared away as the final horn sounded.
The thrilling finish led to a field-rushing celebration for Messiah, as the Falcons came from behind for the conference win.
Amidst a flurry of Falcon giveaways and miscommunications, Lebanon Valley jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the first quarter with goals from Ian Schmid and CJ Adams at the 13:37 and 10:35 marks, respectively.
Messiah would answer to open the second with two goals of their own as junior
Kyle Sproles netted his first of four on the evening and sophomore
Josh Kerr finished a shot from just above the crease off a feed from classmate
Nate Nester.
Two more goals from each team had the teams locked at four goals apiece midway through the second frame. The Dutchmen would tally twice more before the break, taking a 6-4 lead into the second half.
Kupecky (2g, 2a) started the second half scoring to pull the Falcons within one. The Dutchmen again would find open space within the Falcon defense. LVC netted goals from Pedroso and Matt Roupe, increasing their lead the three with 6:46 remaining in the third, 8-5.
Undeterrerd, the Falcons would respond in a big way.
Kevan Schellenberg (3g, 1a) dished out an assist to a cutting
Kyle Sproles (4g,1a) to start the five-goal Messiah run in the late third and early fourth quarters. Sproles tallied twice in the run while Schellenberg, junior
Heath Kupecky and senior
James Baden each added another.
With the loss, the Dutchmen fall to 1-1 in the Commonwealth conference and to 7-2 overall. The loss also halts the Dutchmen's seven-game win streak- their only other loss coming in their season-opener against Randolph-Macon College.
The Falcons improved their overall record to 6-3 and 1-0 in the Commonwealth. The Falcons will travel to Elizabethtown College on Wednesday, April 11 to take on the Blue Jays for their second conference game of the year. Game time is scheduled for 4:00 p.m.
