GRANTHAM, Pa - No. 3 Messiah men's soccer took an early lead and never looked back as they defeated the Knights of Arcadia University 4-0 on a rainy Wednesday evening.
 
Nick West and Danny Brandt scored within three minutes of each other in the first-half, and Messiah ended up taking a three-goal lead into the break after Brit Haseltine knocked one in with four minutes to go in the period. Zeb Cross scored on a beautiful back heel flick in the second-half to put Messiah up by four, and that score would stand throughout the remainder of the game. Messiah outshot Arcadia 24-4 (14-3 on goal).

The Falcons improve to 12-1-0 on the year and 3-0-0 in the conference, while Arcadia falls to 7-4-1 and 1-3-0.
 
They're Reigning, It's Pouring  
Attendance may have been sparse due to wet weather and students having departed for fall break, but the fans that showed up were treated to a great all-around effort from the home Falcons. 
 
Messiah wasted no time taking control of the conference tilt, getting its first good look on a Colby Thomas shot just 57 seconds into the match. Arcadia netminder Chris Watson (10 saves) sprawled to reject Thomas' low-ball effort, but the home side would continue to pester Watson throughout a busy first half marked by 18 Messiah shots – as well as plenty of weather-induced slips and stumbles.
 
Brandt earned a solid look at the 8' mark, forcing the Knight's keeper to go high to save a strike from the 18-yard line. Kirby Robbins was the next to test Watson, who barely beat the Messiah midfielder to a beautifully chipped through ball from Thomas at 12'.
 
Change of Scenery
The Falcons made a slight shift shortly after, sliding Thomas from the middle to the right wing, jetting West from the right side to the left, and slotting David Alejos in the middle.
 
The move may have keyed the Falcons' first-half scoring run, as Thomas – from his fresh spot out wide – lofted a ball across the box at 25', where it was settled by West. Watson, who was a step slow in his attempt to punch the cross away, left the net wide up for West's furious finish, which put the Falcons up 1-0.
 
Brandt doubled the advantage two minutes later, pocketing his second goal of the year on a short cross from West. The fine finish was no easy task, as Brandt leaped to scissor-kick the low cross past a helpless Watson.
 
Alejos also unleashed a pair of long-rage screamers from his new placement in the middle at 30' and 31', forcing Watson into serious action both times. Though he denied Alejos, the visiting keeper couldn't get his hands on Haseltine's 20-yard strike at the 41' mark, which punctuated the Falcons' three-goal half.
 
Thing of Beauty
After early second-half shots from Thomas and Robbins went wide, Messiah wouldn't earn a decent chance until the 69' mark. It was well worth the wait.
 
Partial credit for the fourth and final goal belongs to Haseltine, who out-maneuvered his defender on the right flank to get to the end line.  Once there, Haseltine slotted a ball back across the face of the goal, where Cross was waiting for the gorgeous finish. The senior let the ball travel between his legs before depositing the no-look effort into side netting with the back of his right foot.
 
From a technical standpoint, the goal, Cross' first this fall, will be tough for any teammate to top down the homestretch.
 
Sheets Stay Clean
In a first half that found Messiah all over its attacking third, it was Falcons' keeper Connor Bell (two saves) that came up with the sharpest play of the opening 45 minutes.
 
With the score still 0-0, Arcadia developed a successful counter at the 15' mark. The Knights worked the ball to the end line, then back to a wide-open Alexander Kuchnicki 10 yards from goal. The Arcadia forward laced his short-range effort to the left of Bell, who punched away the dangerous take. After making another fine save in the second frame, Bell was relieved by Nate Flanders, who pounced on a few Arcadia chances over the final 15 minutes.
 
The timely netminding means the Falcons have now shutdown and outscored their last four opponents by a 13-0 margin.
 
Up Next
Widener will look to snap the Falcons' now 10-game win streak this Saturday. The Pride, who sit last in the MAC Commonwealth with a 3-5-3 (0-2-1) mark, host Messiah at 5 p.m.