XML Box Score Grantham, PA – The Falcons' men's soccer team scored four goals in the first 15 minutes of action on Tuesday in a dominant, 6-1 win over Hood College.
Joshua Wood and
Jeremy Payne each scored twice for the Falcons, with both of Wood's goals coming in the first 11:30 of play.
With the win Messiah moves to 11-1 on the season and 2-0 in the Commonwealth Conference. Hood falls to 4-6 and 1-1 in the conference.
After seeing their first three shots get saved by keeper Ryan Deuber, Wood took away a loose ball in the ninth minute and dribbled into the box to set up his team-leading ninth goal of the season. Less than three minutes later
Jeremy Payne added his sixth goal of the year after going one-on-one with his defender to put Messiah on top 2-0.
Already outshooting the Blazers 5-1 to that point, Messiah added two more goals in the next four minutes to build a commanding lead. Wood put a header on a long cross by
Drew Frey for his second goal of the game to make it 3-0, and
Mike Kovach sent home a penalty kick at the 14:13 mark to put the Falcons up 4-0.
In the 31st minute of play
Danny Brandt notched his fourth goal of the year with a strike from just inside the 18-yard line, giving the Falcons a 5-0 lead they would carry into the second-half.
Hood's Joey Fontanez ended the shutout in the 73rd minute with a shot to the far side of the goal that hit off the post and bounded into the goal. Just 23 seconds later Payne earned back the score for Messiah with his second tally of the afternoon to make it 6-1.
Messiah outshot Hood 23-8 on the day while Deuber and Ian McDonald combined to make 10 saves.
Brandon West made a single save in the first-half before
Aaron Hennigan and
Jonathan Weaver split the last 45 minutes in net.
The Falcons next play on Saturday, Oct. 12 when they travel to rival Elizabethtown College for a 4:00 game. With the Blue Jays leaving for the Landmark Conference next summer, Saturday will mark the teams' final match-up as conference opponents.
