GRANTHAM, Pa. – No. 12 Lycoming men's soccer scored two first-half goals on nearly-identical plays, and they held off No. 3 Messiah under the rain to win the MAC Commonwealth Championship on Saturday night, 2-1. Sainclair Tueno and Jake Webb split the goals for the Warriors, and Tueno was named the Tournament's Most Valuable Player. Kirby Robbins tallied for Messiah in the final minutes, but the Falcons couldn't complete the comeback.
 
The win moved the Warriors to 18-2 overall, and they also secured the automatic bid for the NCAA Tournament. The loss dropped Messiah to the same record, 18-2, and they will now await an at-large bid into the NCAA postseason which starts next weekend.
 
First Punch
As expected, the match between Messiah and Lycoming was edge-of-your seat entertainment, and as the game began the Warriors' high-pressure was on full display. With the rainfall increasing with each passing moment, Lycoming struck first with a goal in the fourth minute. Jake Webb sent the serve from the right corner, and Sainclair Tueno jumped by the far post for a forceful header into the net.
 
The goal was his team-leading 10th of the season, and it set off a rowdy celebration by the Warriors. The score also grabbed early momentum, as the Warriors were consistently in the Falcons' territory and collected five of the game's first six shots.
 
Déjà Vu
In the 20' Lycoming earned their third corner of the game, and once again Jake Webb sent a right-sided serve perfectly to the goal box. The ball bounced sharply under the dive of Conner Bell, and it banged off the far post and over the goal line for a Lycoming 2-0 lead.

Messy Pitch
As the game wore on Messiah began to settle play, but the combination of the Warriors' high-octane attack, physical play (including 16-5 difference in fouls), and sloppy field didn't help the comeback attempt. Messiah ended with a 17-10 advantage in shots, and they even attempted one more corner (5-4) than Lycoming, but Chris Solecki came up with the big saves he needed to keep his team in front.
 
Solecki's biggest save probably came in the 63' when Messiah was working furiously to get on the board. Colby Thomas was played into the box on the right side, and he turned the corner for a hard-angled shot across the box. Solecki dove middle and tipped the ball just enough to keep it wide of the far post, and it was cleared away.
 
Messiah did finally get on the board in the 89' when Shay Quintin found Kirby Robbins in the box for his 13th goal of the season. The tally livened the play for the final 90 seconds, and Messiah did get off two more shots, but Lycoming did enough to protect their lead.
 
Up Next
The NCAA Selection show for Division III men's soccer will air on Monday at 1:30 p.m. The Warriors will be in the tournament by way of the automatic qualifier, while Messiah will surely hear their name called by way of an at-large bid.
 
Fans are encouraged to follow GoMessiah.com for the direct link to Monday's show.