GRANTHAM, Pa. – The regular-season is complete and Messiah men's soccer is now prepared to enter the postseason, starting with the MAC Commonwealth Semifinal this Wednesday night. The Falcons are 17-1 overall and ranked No. 3 in the most recent United Soccer Coaches Top 25 Poll, and they'll host No. 4-seeded Arcadia in the conference semifinal on Wednesday at 7:00 p.m.
Winners from Wednesday's games will play in the conference championship on Saturday.
See below for a snapshot preview of the conference tournament.
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| Scouting the Falcons |
| No. 1 Messiah Falcons - 17-1-0 Overall, 8-0 MAC Commonwealth |
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The Falcons earned the top seed in the conference tournament thanks to an undefeated 8-0 mark against league opponents. Messiah has won 15-straight games since their only loss on Sept. 6 (Haverford, 2-1) and seven those wins have been by more than two goals. Kirby Robbins (12g, 5a) and Colby Thomas (7g, 9a) each have five game-winners for the Falcons, and Nick West (9g, 4a) is also over 20 points with four winners of his own. This year's group has shown the ability to dominate stat sheet—they outshoot opponents by nearly 10 shots per game—and they've also proved capable of winning with little margin; the Falcons eight of the Falcons 15 wins have come by a single goal, and five of those victories were secured in the final 10 minutes regulation or overtime.
Connor Bell sits in goal with a nationally No. 11-ranked 0.482 goals against average, and he's protected by a defense has earned 12 shutouts in 18 games.
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| Scouting the Field |
| No. 2 Lycoming College Warriors - 16-2 Overall, 7-1 MAC Commonwealth |
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The Warriors missed the conference postseason in 2016—one year removed from taking the title from Messiah—but they've returned with largely the same group to win 16 games. Their only blemish in conference was a 1-0 loss to the Falcons (more on that below). Sainclair Tueno (8g) leads five double-digit scorers, and 10 different Warrior players have logged a game-winner. The offensive balance is a byproduct of Lycoming's relentless and direct style of play, and they pride themselves in wearing down their opponent from the first whistle. They've collected 11 shutouts and have allowed just eight goals, and keeper Chris Solecki sits in frame with an impressive 0.48 GAA and 0.871 save percentage.
When They Met: The Falcons went up to Williamsport two weeks ago and came away with a 1-0 win over the Warriors. Danny Brandt tallied the game's only goal with a volley shot in the 12' and Connor Bell made six saves—each seemingly more impressive than the next—to support the decision. As has been the narrative when these two have met, the game was end-to-end and hotly contested until the final horn; Lycoming finished with more shots (11-10) and shots on goal (6-5) than the Falcons as they scrapped and clawed to get even. Messiah and Lycoming have split their past four meetings dating back to 2015, with each team scoring three goals.
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| No. 3 Lebanon Valley College Dutchmen - 11-4-1 Overall, 5-3 MAC Commonwealth |
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The Dutchmen are slotted No. 3 in the postseason seeding thanks to five wins in the conference regular-season. Two of Lebanon Valley's losses came to teams seeded ahead (Messiah, Lycoming) and the other came to No. 4 Arcadia. The Dutchmen gave up two goals in each of those three losses. Tyler Skye (6g, 4a) leads the Dutchmen with 16 points, with Jake Kline (5g, 4a) and Rob Hanosek (4g, 2a) also at 10-plus points. Kline (3), Riley Katshir (2), and Mitch Crane (2) have multi-game-winners. Lebanon Valley plays aggressive with some high-pressure, though they've been vulnerable to opposing teams' attack in allowing 10.2 shots per game, more than four corners per game, and 15 total goals. Cam Avery sits in frame and holds a 0.769 save percentage with five-plus saves in five different games, including a six-save effort against Messiah.
When They Met: Messiah's thrilling Homecoming Day win is no doubt fresh in the minds of Falcons' fans and, surely, the Dutchmen. Lebanon Valley took a 1-0 lead early in the second-half on Shoemaker Field, but Kirby Robbins stole the show with a 69' equalizer and a golden goal halfway through the second overtime. The Dutchmen are no doubt eager for a rematch, but they'll first have to contend with Lycoming in the Semifinal. That contest is sure to be entertaining considering the high-pressure and relentless style of both teams, and the Falcons will gladly let them wear each other down prior to a possible date in the conference championship.
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| No. 4 Arcadia Knights - 11-4-2 Overall, 4-3-1 MAC Commonwealth |
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The Knights arrive into the MAC Commonwealth Semifinal via a 2-1 win over No. 4 Alvernia in the Quarterfinal on Monday night. A header by Bradley McKim in the 34' put the Knights in front, but it was the winner by Harun Abdullahi in the 83' that secured the win. Ryan Hammer (6g, 8a), McKim (7g, 4a), and Abduliahi (6g, 1a) are all double-digit scorers for Arcadia, who are now unbeaten in six games. The Knights went 4-3-1 in the conference this season, and all three of their losses came in consecutive games against Alvernia (1-0), Lycoming (2-0), and Messiah (4-0). Arcadia has scored just 33 goals, and they've allowed 20, and they are outshooting their opponents by less than two shots per game (14.8 to 12.9).
When They Met: Four different Falcons—Nick West, Danny Brandt, Brit Haseltine, and Zeb Cross— scored in a 4-0 shutout win over Arcadia early in October. The teams played through a downpour, but Messiah's three first-half goals put them in control as they went on to finish with a 24-4 advantage in shots. Keeper Chris Watson collected 10 saves to keep the Knights within striking distance, but just three of Arcadia's shots went on frame. |
Conference Championship History
The Falcons have won eight of the past nine conference titles, including last season's 4-1 win over Lebanon Valley. Their lone loss over that stretch was a 1-0 loss at Lycoming in the 2015 conference title game. In total they have 16 conference championships dating back to their first title in 1992.
