GRANTHAM, Pa. – The top-seeded Messiah men's soccer team defeated the fourth-seeded Stevenson Mustangs 1-0 on Thursday night in the MAC Commonwealth Semifinals. After a thrilling 2-1 overtime match between the two sides in Owings Mills earlier this season, Thursday's semifinal was just as tight with Messiah scoring the lone goal of the match off the foot of Luke Groothoff in the 69th minute.
 
Messiah held a 23-8 advantage in total shots in the match, but Stevenson had a number of quality chances in the second-half, particularly in the final two minutes where Stevenson earned a pair of corner kicks.
 
The Falcons will now move on to face the second-seeded Lycoming Warriors, who earned their berth in the MAC Commonwealth Final with a 2-0 victory over Lebanon Valley this afternoon on their home turf. Lycoming scored both goals in the first 10 minutes of the match, while outshooting the Dutchmen 16-6 in the match.
 
The Warriors will come to Grantham for the Championship Match scheduled 7:30 p.m. on Shoemaker Field. This will be the fifth time that the Falcons and Warriors have met in the Conference Tournament in the last six seasons. Lycoming holds a 2-1-1 record against the Falcons in the last four meetings during postseason play.
 
Scoreless First-Half
The Falcons controlled the pace for the opening half, firing 12 shots in the first 45 minutes against just one attempt by the Mustangs. Despite the disparity in shots, Messiah was unable to find the back of the net sending just two shots on frame in the first-half.
 
The Falcons' put together multiple dangerous opportunities in the half, but the two most threatening shots came from Samuel Ruiz Plaza and Luke Brautigam. On Messiah's second shot of the match, Ruiz Plaza ran into a loose ball and delivered a shot that skimmed the top of the crossbar on its way high.
 
In the 27th minute, Luke Brautigam delivered a rip from outside the box that rattled the crossbar and bounced back into play, but the Mustangs cleared the ball out of danger and the match remained scoreless.
 
Messiah controlled possession in the attacking third for the majority of the half, but they were unable to dent the scoreboard and the match remained scoreless into the half.
 
Finding their Moment
The early portion of the second-half opened as a more endline-to-endline battle than the run of play in the first-half. Stevenson took three shots in the first 10 minutes of the half after attempting just one in the first-half. Just as they did in the opening half, Messiah settled down in the middle portion of the half and began pressuring the Mustangs' defense more as the half period progressed.
 
The Falcons finally found their moment in the 69th minute when Shay Quintin carried the ball deep down the sideline. The Mustangs gained control at the top of the box, but Luke Groothoff came in from the midfield with a strong tackle to take possession back for Messiah. After a controlling touch, Groothoff ripped a quick shot and beat the keeper to his right for the 1-0 lead.
 
The tally was the fifth of the season for the freshman and gave the Falcons the upper hand with just over 20 minutes left to play.
 
Frantic Finish
In the final five minutes of play, the Mustangs began mounting pressure with a much more direct style of play. Stevenson ended up earning a pair of corner kicks in the final two minutes of the match, but shots from DR Medtart and Tariq Lee were both blocked by Messiah's defense and the Falcons held on for the 1-0 victory.
 
What's Up Next
With the 1-0 victory, Messiah moves into the MAC Commonwealth Championship Match against the second-seeded Lycoming Warriors on Saturday night on Shoemaker Field. The meeting with Lycoming is a rematch of last year's Conference Championship that the Warriors won 2-1 in Grantham.
 
Messiah defeated the Warriors earlier this season when the two teams met just over two weeks ago on Oct. 17. Nick West scored both goals for the Falcons in the victory.