GRANTHAM, Pa. – When family gets together, good things are bound to happen.
 
Messiah senior Colby Thomas put through a hard strike from 25 yards out in the 97' to give No. 10 Messiah men's soccer a thrilling 1-0 overtime win on Saturday night on Shoemaker Field. The win came in front of more than 3,000 fans on Family Weekend at Messiah, and it moved the Falcons to 7-1 overall.
 
Misericordia fell to 0-8 with the loss.
 
Golden Moment
On paper, the match between the No. 10 Falcons and the winless Cougars seemed lopsided, but Misericordia did all they needed to hang with the Falcons into the extra period. The Falcons outshot the Cougars 26-4, and Misericorida managed to put just one shot on frame.
 
Despite the mismatch in the box score, it wasn't until less than three minutes to go in the first overtime session that Colby Thomas and the Falcons broke through. Messiah was holding possession in Cougar territory, and possession worked through the midfield from Cooper Robbins out to the left flank for Thomas. The senior squared up his defender and cut middle to create some space, and he just as quickly fired from 25 yards out to beat keeper Patrick Hoffman near post.
 
The goal was almost surreal considering Messiah came within inches of scoring on multiple occasions throughout the night. But reality hit a split second later, and the celebration was on for Messiah and their fans.
 
Turned Away
One of the biggest reasons Messiah and Misericordia were in overtime was the play of Cougar keeper Patrick Hoffman. He collected nine saves on the night, with each seemingly more impressive than the last.
 
Perhaps his best stop of the night came in the 92' when Nick West was slotted into the box for a 1v1 with Hoffman. With a closing defender pushing West toward the right post Hoffman managed to spread big enough to deflect West's shot from six yards out. That effort kept the game 0-0 until Thomas' strike minutes later.
 
In the Box
As mentioned, Messiah finished with a 26-4 edge in shots, and they also had an 11-4 advantage in corners. Keeper Conner Bell had to make just one save, though he also made some big grabs in the air off a few free kicks from the Cougars.

Mr. 3,000
The tally from Thomas not only won the game, but it also gave Messiah 3,000 goals in program history. The Falcons, who have been competing since 1967, scored their 1,000th goal on Oct. 13, 1990 in a 1-0 win at Gordon (John Bada) and their 2,000th goal on Sept. 7, 2005 in a 7-1 win at McDaniel (Kai Kasiguran).
 
Up Next
Messiah will hit the road to take on local rival Elizabethtown next Wednesday, Sept. 27. Game time is set for 7:30 p.m.