Williamsport, PA - A Lycoming goal in the 20th minute of play proved to be the crushing blow in a 1-0 loss for Messiah College in the MAC Commonwealth Championship. The decision was the Falcons' loss to Lycoming this season, and it also marked the second time in three seasons that the Warriors came away with a conference crown over Messiah.

Sainclair Tueno tallied for the Warriors on a play that started with a long throw-in from near the corner. The ball bounced once before getting banged around to the far post where Tueno fired it past a diving Connor Bell. Messiah appeared close to an equalizer on more than a few occassions, but they could not find the net.

The loss dropped Messiah to 14-5-1 and, more importantly, to 0-3 against teams ahead of them in the Mid-Atlantic Region (Lycoming, Elizabethtown), which leaves them with a very slim chance at receiving an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament.
 
When the game started Messiah appeared poised to get an early lead. They held possession in their attacking third for a good amount of the first 17 minutes, with three shots by three different players getting turned away by keeper Josh Gildea.
 
The early play was misleading however, as Lycoming stopped whatever momentum Messiah had with Tueno's tally. Jordan Logan, Lycoming's leading scorer, collected the assist after sending the loose ball across the goal box.
 
With so much time left in the game, and with both teams willing to play end-to-end, it didn't seem impossible for Messiah to answer. They proved as much with their attack, collecting seven shots before the break and doubling up the Warriors in shots (12-6) overall. But Gildea came up with five saves, and the Lycoming defense caused enough havoc around the box to keep Messiah from squaring up any attempts.
 
As the game moved on the play also became more aggressive, with Messiah picking up two yellow cards and Lycoming another. In the final minutes, Messiah's pressed forward as much as they could and they twice came close to tying the game in the final seconds; with 40 seconds to play Will Cochran's shot off a long serve hit off the crossbar and came back into play and, seconds later, playing off a final corner kick attempt, Josh Bender's header went just over the crossbar.
 
As the horn sounded the Warriors' fans rushed the field while Messiah walked off with a hard decision.
 
The win pushed Lycoming to 16-1-2 and tied their school record for wins in a single-season.
 
As mentioned, Messiah now awaits what appears to be a small chance at qualifying for the NCAA Tournament. It's certainly an unfamiliar territory for the Falcons considering they played in 18-straight NCAA postseasons.
 
Fans are encouraged to follow GoMessiah.com on Sunday for more information on the NCAA selection show which is scheduled for Monday at 1:30 p.m.