WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. –  No. 3 Messiah men's soccer scored early and collected a number of impressive defensive moments to earn a hard-fought 1-0 win at No. 8 Lycoming on Wednesday afternoon. Danny Brandt tallied the lone goal, and Connor Bell made four saves to support the win.
 
The victory pushed Messiah to 14-1 overall, and also 5-0 in the MAC Commonwealth. Lycoming took just their second loss (14-2) and fell to 5-1 in the conference.
 
Find it Early
Wednesday's game between the conference rivals—a USC Top 10 battled based on today's release—lived up to the billing. Playing on the Warriors' narrow field, the teams went end-to-end for much of the afternoon, though it was an early moment for Messiah that made the difference on the scoreboard.
 
The Falcons' goal came in the 12' when Nick West pushed hard down the left sideline and sent a looping serve to the middle of the box. Danny Brandt ran through the midfield for the volley touch, with his shot getting past keeper Chris Solecki for a 1-0 lead.
 
Brandt's goal was his second in three games.
 
Hold Your Breath
The Warriors' relentless style of play, coupled with their small field, always guarantees a tense match, and Wednesday was no different. The game was hard to settle, though Messiah outshot Lycoming after the goal 4-2. Joseph King had the best of those looks for the Falcons, with his leaping header in the 43' getting grabbed by Solecki on the line.
 
Despite collecting just two shots in the first period the Warriors kept Conner Bell active, with Bell making more than a few great plays in the air and in the box to turn away Lycoming's attack.
 
In the second period Messiah's defense played even better, and in the 54' Bell and his teammates combined to keep the Warriors out of the net. A long throw-in bounced in the box and over Bell to give Duc Momo a look, but his shot from 10 yards out was turned away on the goal line by the defense. A second look by was turned away when Bell recovered to collect possession.
 
Edge of Your Seat
The Warriors continued to press hard for an equalizer, and in the 67' they earned a free kick from the left sideline thanks to a foul on Shay Quintin. The long serve was punched out by Bell, but it was immediately retuned by Sainclair Tueno. Bell made a terrific save on the line, and Abdullahi Abdi's follow went just wide of the left post.
 
Those two looks may have been the best for Lycoming, but Bell made another highlight save—this time on a dive—on a leaping header by Kyle Thomas with just over 10 minutes to play.
 
In the Box
The teams combined for 21 shots, with Lycoming hold edges in total shots (11-10) and shots on goal (6-5). The Warriors also held Messiah without a corner (2-0) though they committed nine more fouls than the Falcons (14-5). Bell, as mentioned, made four saves, with his teammates collecting two others within scrambles by the goal.
 
Up Next
The Falcons return home to Shoemaker Field this Saturday when they host a Homecoming Day match against Lebanon Valley. The Dutchmen are 9-2-1 overall, and 3-1 in the conference, heading into tonight's match at Stevenson.

Game time on Saturday is set for 6:00 p.m.