READING, Pa. - The No. 13 Messiah men's soccer team scored a pair of first-half goals from Ben Lefever and Chad Vrolijk to earn a 2-0 victory over the Albright Lions in a rare Friday night conference match. The Falcons outshot the Lions 23-7 on the night, putting 11 attempts on frame against just two for Albright.

Nate Flanders saved a penalty kick in the 77th minute to help the Falcons earn their ninth shutout of the season.

Lefever tallied in the scored int he 19th minute off a feed from Micah Fitz and Chad Vrolijk netted his goal in the 40th minute thanks to an assist from Matt McDonald.

With the win, the Falcons lock up the top seed in the upcoming MAC Commonwealth Tournament with a perfect 7-0-0 conference record this year. Messiah will be back in action in their regular season finale on Wednesday when they host the Stevenson Mustangs at 7:00 p.m. on Shoemaker Field.

First Years Net Pair
As Messiah has for a majority of their recent games, they put the pressure on early. Albright's keeper Billy Mullen faced three shots on goal in the first four minutes of the game with Ben Lefever, Reid Ruark, and Lucas Kokolios all puting shots on frame in the early going.

As a team Messiah registered a half dozen shots in the first 16 minutes of the game before Lefever got the Falcons on the board in the 19th minute off a feed from Micah Fitz. From the right side, Fitz  fought his way into the right-side of the box, slipping his way through defenders in the process. After cutting his way between two Lions, Fitz sent a quick cross through the middle of the box to Lefever waiting on the left-side of the six. A controlling touch from Lefever allowed him to set his feet before, ripping a shot into a wide-open goal.

The tally put the Falcons up 1-0, but Messiah would add a second tally just over 20 minutes later. In the 40th minute, Matt McDonald carried the ball to the endline on the right-side before slotting a ball to the top of the box for Chad Vrolijk. With a defender in front of him, Vrolijk touched to his left before finding the back of the net on the left side for his first career goal.

Messiah carried the 2-0 lead to the half and held a 12-4 advantage in shots during the period.

Flanders Saves Shutout
Messiah continued to hold the edge in shots throughout the second half, recording 11 attempts in the period. The Lions took three in the half, but the most dangerous came in the 76th minute when Albright earned a penalty kick. Billy Hanratty stepped up and hit his attempt to the left, but Flanders made a diving save to keep the clean sheet intact.

The Falcons held on for the 2-0 victory, improving to 13-2-2 on the season and 7-0-0 in the conference. With the win, Messiah locks up the top seed in the MAC Commonwealth Tournament that gets started in early November.

What's Up Next
The Falcons will be back in action on Wednesday when they host the Stevenson Mustangs at 7:00 p.m. on Shoemaker Field. Wednesday's match will be the regular season finale for the Falcons. Messiah holds a 7-0-1 all-time record against the Mustangs.