Grantham, PA - Messiah men's lacrosse went down 5-0 to start and could not recover in a 14-10 loss to Albright College in the MAC Commonwealth Semifinal on Wednesday. The Falcons managed to fight back and tie the game 6-6 early in the second quarter, but they played from behind the rest of the way in the defeat.
The win pushes Albright into the MAC Championship on Saturday where they will face the winner of top-seeded Stevenson University and 4-seed Widener University. Messiah finishes their season at 9-6.
Trading Places
When the Falcons and Lions met during the regular-season on Apr. 1, Messiah scored the first six goals en route to a 14-10 win. Today, the Lions scored the first five goals en route to a 14-10 win.
Despite the irony, Messiah did not fall out of contention for the decision. Three-straight goals from
Matthew Franken and
Dylan Gillisse (2) brought Messiah within 5-3 late in the first quarter, and another three goals across the first two periods tied the game at 6-6.
Messiah's game-tying goal came from Gillisse, who finished with three goals for the third time this season.
No Rest for the Weary
Whatever encouragement the Falcons built with their rally was erased at the end of the second period when Derek Stump and Andrew Potter (2) scored three-straight goals for the Lions to give them a 9-6 halftime lead.
At the break Messiah not only trailed, but they were also behind on faceoffs (10-7) while generating zero extra man opportunities. The Lions, meanwhile, collected four such chance in the first-half—their only man-up opportunities of the game—that helped them score three goals.
Last Efforts
Messiah outshout Albright 22-20 across the final two periods, and they came within one goal on three separate occasions.
Liam Lilienthal scored off a feed from
Matthew Franken late in the third to make it 9-8, but Cam Centrone put Albright back up 10-8 after a quick clear and streak to the cage.
The Falcons closed to a one-goal deficit twice more, and
Justin Bradley scored the goal both times. The final of those two moments came with 9:23 left in the fourth, leaving plenty of time for the hosts to complete the rally, especially has
Sam Stengel, who finished with 11 saves, did his best to keep the Lions from running away.
But Albright soon broke through again, and they closed the game out with three unanswered goals. Messiah, meanwhile, managed just six shots in the final nine minutes.
Season Wrap
The Falcons' loss leaves the team short of rematch with No. 1-seeded Stevenson; Messiah, the No. 2 seed, had their lone regular-season conference loss come to the Mustangs. The loss also breaks a streak of two-straight trips to the MAC Commonwealth Championship.
