CARLISLE, Pa. – Nick West notched his second hat trick of the season as the No. 1 Messiah men's soccer team earned a 5-2 victory over the Dickinson Red Devils on Wednesday night. West opened the scoring in the ninth minute before finishing his second goal in the 30th minute and his third in the 55th minute.
 
In addition to West's third career hat trick, David Alejos and Luke Brautigam collected tallies as the Falcons earned their fourth victory of the season.
 
In the game, Messiah outshot the Red Devils 21-9 and held a 12-6 advantage in shots on goal.
 
Strong Start
Messiah got off to an extremely strong start thanks to a pair of goals in the first 10 minutes of Wednesday's match. Nick West got the party started with a goal in the ninth minute. Just over a minute later David Alejos doubled the Messiah lead in the 11th minute on his first goal since Oct. 1, 2016 vs. Lebanon Valley.
 
While Alejos took almost two years between goals, Nick West waited just 22 minutes after his first goal of the night to strike for his second. In the 30th minute, West gave Messiah a 3-0 lead with his eight goal of the season.
 
More Big Moments
After Dickinson's Ward Van de Water tallied just before half-time, West would find his third goal of the match in the 55th minute to bump the Messiah lead back to three at 4-1.
 
The 4-1 margin remained until Frederick Cisse connected in the 81st minute for the Red Devils just five minutes after he subbed back into the match. The score cut the Messiah lead back down to 4-2, but the Falcons had some more left in the tank.
 
A nearly full line-change brought eight fresh Falcons onto the pitch in the 84th minute. Just over two minutes later, Luke Brautigam scored his first career goal in the 87th minute to put a cap on the scoring and gave Messiah the 5-2 victory.
 
Extra Notes
Nick West has been scoring on a pace not seen in Grantham for some time. The senior has scored nine goals in just five matches this season and now has two hat tricks to his name on the year. Entering Wednesday's game, West was tied for second in the country with six goals and is almost sure to be among the leaders after his three-goal performance against the Red Devils.
 
West has now scored exactly half of Messiah's 18 goals on the season with nine tallies. He's also added a pair of assists for an even 20 points. With two hat trick this season, West becomes the first Falcon with multiple hat tricks in a season since Josh Wood in 2009 (hat tricks vs. Arcadia - Oct. 26 and Elizabethtown - Oct. 31).
 
What's Up Next
The Falcons return home this weekend and will host Eastern Mennonite University at 7:00 p.m. on Shoemaker Field. The Falcons and Royals last met on Sept. 27, 2011 with Messiah earning a 2-0 victory. Saturday's match will mark the 31st meeting between the two sides. Messiah holds a 24-5-1 record in the overall series.