Roanoke, VA – Despite holding Lynchburg to zero shots in the final 65 minutes of play, Messiah College could not capitalize on a their own chances and settled for a draw on Saturday night, 0-0. The Falcons collected 17 total shots, while the Hornets attempted just three of their own, all of which came before halftime.

Perhaps the closest Messiah came all afternoon to a goal was in the 92nd minute when Jacob Bender ripped a shot from straightaway in the midfield. But the offering bounded off the crossbar, and the game eventually went the full 110:00 to a scoreless tie.

With the decision, both Messiah and Lynchburg moved to 1-0-1 on the season.
 
The Falcons and Hornets matchup was their first meeting since Messiah came away with a 2-1 overtime win in the 2010 Division III National Championship. Though the stakes were not as high in this afternoon's match, the play had all the makings of another narrow outcome. That was the case even into the final seconds when a Messiah corner set-up a header by Justin Brautigam, but Dylan McLaurin came up with his eighth-and-final save to end the threat.
 
The shot discrepancy mirrored the territory battle as Messiah held the field for more and more time as the game wore on. Early in the second-half it seemed as though they would break through when Colby Thomas split two defenders on the right side, got into the box, and served a low pass across the goal. The ball got around McLaurin and to David Alejos on the left side, but the bounce eluded his step and went out the backside.
 
Moment later Thomas created another chance, this one off a serve from deep on the end line. The ricochet through the defense fell to Bender atop the 18, but his shot hooked all the way through the box and wide of the left post.
 
Although the Falcons worked combinations in and around the Hornets' box throughout the second-half, they couldn't find too many truly-dangerous opportunities until Bender's shot in the overtime period.
 
As mentioned, Messiah took all the shots in the second-half and overtime periods—11 in total. They also took six shots in the first-half, five of which were saved by McLaurin. The Hornets forced Connor Bell to make three saves in the first-half, including one in the 16th minute that was Lynchburg's best chance at the net all afternoon. A serve from the right side was knocked down by Bell at the six-yard line, and a follow-up shot by Fredy Flores was tipped away by Bell.
 
In addition to the shot advantage, Messiah took 10 corners to the Hornets' two.
 
Messiah will now take a week off before playing another two games over Friday and Saturday. The first match will be against Oglethorpe at 7:00 on Friday evening on Shoemaker Field.