Grantham, PA – With three seconds left to play in double-overtime and the scoreboard showing zeros, Jacob Bender's last-ditch effort at a goal was tipped over the end line by Gettysburg keeper Peter Como. The exhilarating final play sealed a scoreless draw between the local rivals, as No. 11 Messiah moved to 3-1-1.
 
The Bullets remained unbeaten in the decision at 4-0-1.
 
Bender's last shot wasn't the closest the Falcons came to scoring, but it was much closer than one could have guessed as the Falcons pressed ahead with less than 10 seconds to play. A throw in from the sideline even with the 18 went to Bender's feet with less than five seconds to go, and his touches forward set up the strike. The save was Como's fourth of the night.
 
Messiah finished with 18 shots in the 110 minutes, but just four attempts went on frame. Gettysburg managed just four shots, three of which came in the first-half. The Falcons also finished with an 8-1 edge in shots, and they held territory for long stretches in both the second-half and overtime periods.
 
Of the few great chances Messiah had to score, perhaps the best was with six minutes left to play in the first overtime. David Alejos turned down a look to the left corner in favor of cutting to the corner of the 18, and he slotted perfectly into the box for Danny Rowe. Rowe picked up the ball on his run to the near post, touched back to the middle, and appeared to have a look at the net. He chose to lay it back to the middle of the box where Bender sent it hard over the crossbar.
 
Early in the second overtime Kirby Robbins also came close to getting a golden goal when he weaved into the box on the left side for a shot at the near post. But Como made a diving save to punch it over the end line, keeping the game scoreless.
 
The draw pushed Messiah's all-time record with the Bullets to 29-10-5; the Falcons' 44 games with Gettysburg is their second-most against any one single opponent (Elizabethtown, 52).
 
The Falcons will look to get back in the win column on Saturday when they host Rowan University at 7:00 p.m.