Lexington, VA – Messiah scored two goals in each half to upset No. 5 Washington & Lee University Saturday afternoon. Jacob Bender scored the opening goal only four minutes into play to put the Falcons ahead early on, and they never relinquished control. Justin Brautigam, Kirby Robbins, and Samuel Ruiz Plaza also tallied goals on the day.

The win kept Messiah undefeated on the season, as they moved to 9-0-3 on the season. The Generals fell to 9-2.

The Falcons offense did not take long to get going, as Bender's goal put Messiah ahead in just the fourth minute of play.  Will Cochran possessed the ball on the right side, and crossed the ball into the box to Bender, who was able to put his shot past the hands of keeper Gillen Beck to give Messiah a quick advantage.

Despite the early lead, the Generals were determined to even the score, and had a great opportunity to do so in the ninth minute. Lee Kelvin Lencioni ripped a shot that was saved by Connor Bell, but the ball was not controlled by Messiah. The Generals kept possession and Lencioni had another shot that was saved on the line by the Falcon defense to keep Washington & Lee scoreless early.

After that scare, Messiah's offense worked to get a two-goal advantage, and did so in the 28th minute. Jacob Bender put the Falcons' corner kick into the center of the box, where Justin Brautigam was there to put a head on it and sneak it past Beck to give Messiah a commanding 2-0 lead in the first-half.

Despite the Falcons' continued pressure, they were unable to connect on their remaining two shots of the opening half, and took a 2-0 lead into the break.

The Messiah offense did not relent in the second-half, and added another goal in the 58th minute to put them ahead by three. As the Falcons' attacked near the left side of the end-line, the ball was played back to Jacob Bender 25 yards out on the left side. Bender then played a through ball to Kirby Robbins, who turned and tucked the ball inside the post to dash the Generals' hope of a comeback.

In the 84th minute, Samuel Ruiz Plaza tallied the fourth and final goal of the day. After Brit Haseltine's shot was saved, Messiah regained possession and found Ruiz Plaza in the middle of the field. He ripped a shot from deep that bent inside the right post to seal the victory for the Falcons.

The victory over the No. 5 Generals was the Falcons' second Top-25 victory of the season, and marked the fourth-consecutive victory for Messiah. The Falcon attack controlled possession throughout the contest, and gained a 20-6 advantages in shots. Connor Bell and the Falcons' defense also held strong throughout, as they posted their fifth shutout of the season.

The Falcons return to action Tuesday night, when they take on conference foe Lycoming College on Shoemaker Field. Kickoff is set for 7:00 p.m.