GRANTHAM, Pa. – No. 16 Messiah men's soccer scored two goals in each half and frustrated Dickinson's attack all night in a 4-0 win on Shoemaker Field. Four different Falcons tallied in the win and the Falcons moved to 4-1 overall.
 
Dickinson fell to 3-2 in the loss.
 
Early Advantage
The Falcons grabbed a hold of possession and territory from the opening whistle, and they took the lead in the 18' when Danny Brandt made a quick turn in the midfield to play Colby Thomas behind the Red Devils' defense on the right side. Thomas ran onto possession, went right to goal, and beat keeper John Baney with a deft shot inside the post.
 
Thomas' goal put the Falcons on top, but it was moments before that Messiah almost fell behind; in the 11' Dickinson found Matthew Edmonds against the run of play, and he carried into the right side of the box before sending a shot across the goal and just wide of the far post.
 
Less than 15 minutes later Dickinson had their best chance to even the score when they earned a free kick from three yards off the corner of the 18. Ward Van de Water put a terrific strike past the four-man wall but Connor Bell was at the far post to make a great save.
 
Use Your Head
Messiah was in control of the match from the onset, but they held that 1-0 lead until the 41' when Brit Haseltine scored his first goal of the season to double the advantage. David Alejos collected the assist thanks to his short serve from the left side, and Haseltine put it through with a leaping header at the near post.
 
Flyaway Falcons
In the second-half Messiah added two more goals to finish the shutout. The first came in the 50' when Danny Brandt played Kirby Robbins behind the defense, with Robbins beating his trail defender and quickly carrying past a sliding keeper for a look on the open goal. Less than 15 minutes later Nick West attacked down the left side, cut middle, and launched a shot that Baney couldn't corral at the goal line.  
 
This was Messiah's second-straight 4-0 win, and their second-straight shutout after allowing tallies in each of their first three games.
 
Up Next
Two days from now Messiah plays a rare Friday night match when they travel to Rowan University for a 7:00 start. The Profs are 5-1 this season and they've outscored opponents 26-6, including 5-0 this afternoon against Hood.