XML Box Score Grantham, PA - Messiah College was visited by Ursinus College today on Anderson Field were they were defeated by a score of 15-2 despite striking first in the opening two minutes.
Steve Smyrl and Jake Weber, each putting away four goals, led the Bears' offense.
Chris Bry scored both of the Falcons' goals in the game. Ursinus won 14 face-offs to Messiah's six.
Despite losing the opening face-off with a violation, and the next two, the Falcons scored the first goal of the game just 1:52 into the quarter. Messiah went on an odd-man rush down the field where
Drew Pagenkopf found
Chris Bry open on the opposite side of the net for the goal.
One minute later, Smyrl found his first goal of the game to tie it at one. Cioeta and Weber would also find ways into the goal before the end of the first to make the game 3-1.
Ursinus opened up the scoring in the second quarter and found the back of the net eight times. Smyrl scored a hat-trick five other Bears scored in the quarter. Bry tried to shorten the gap with his second goal of the game on an assist from
Andrew Harris but that was all the Falcons could put up on the board.
The Bears scored four more goals in the second half to bring their final total to 15. Although the Falcons couldn't get any more past Bryan Neff, they showed ability to hold possession for long stretches.
The Bears outshot the Falcons 48-22 and held the advantage on ground balls 30-23. Thirteen total penalties were committed in the game with Bry's second goal the only one scored during a man-up opportunity. Three Falcons split time between the pipes, combining for 13 saves.
Messiah will look for their first win of the season when they travel to Goucher College on Mar. 12. Ursinus opened their 2014 season with the win today, moving to 1-0.
