GRANTHAM, Pa. - The Messiah men's soccer team earned the top seed in this week's MAC Commonwealth Tournament after a perfect 8-0-0 record in the conference this fall. Messiah will host the fourth-seeded Stevenson Mustangs Wednesday night on Shoemaker Field at 7:00 p.m. in the semifinals. The Mustangs claimed a 3-0 victory over the fifth-seeded Lebanon Valley Dutchmen in Monday's MAC Commonwealth Play-In Game to advance into Wednesday's semifinals.
In the other semifinal, the second-seeded Lycoming Warriors will host he third-seeded Arcadia Knights on Wednesday as well. The winners of the two semifinals will meet on Saturday with the 2019 MAC Commonwealth Title on the line.
This is Messiah's 28th appearance in the Conference Tournament. The Falcons have advanced to the Championship Game 22 times and claimed 17 Conference Titles in program history.
See below for a quick preview of the MAC Commonwealth Tournament field:
No. 1 Messiah College Falcons - 14-2-2 overall, 8-0-0 conference
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How we got here:
After dropping the first two games of the season by identical 1-0 scores to Hobart and Ithaca, the Falcons have gone 14-0-2 in their last 16 games, including 10-straight wins to end the regular season. Messiah went a perfect 8-0-0 in conference play to clinch the top seed in the MAC Commonwealth Tournament.
Messiah's defense has been their strength this season, allowing just 10 goals through the regular season. The Falcons' 0.542 goals against average is the fifth-best mark in the country. Messiah's defense has only gotten better throughout the season. In their last 11 games (1010 minutes), the Falcons have conceded just three goals while scoring 28 of their own.
Players to watch:
Trevor Goodling - Jr. - Forward - seven goals, two assists, five game-winning goals
Luke Groothoff - So. - Midfield - five goals, two assists
Cooper Robbins - Sr. - Defender - 18 starts on a defense allowing 0.542 goals per game
Nate Flanders - Sr. - Goalkeeper - 0.53 GAA, 0.804 save percentage, 37 saves
No. 4 Stevenson University Mustangs - 12-5-3, 4-3-1
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How they got here:
The Mustangs enter the MAC Commonwealth semifinals after a 3-0 victory in the play-in game on Monday evening over the Lebanon Valley Dutchmen. Stevenson scored three times in the opening half en route to the 3-0 victory with Tariq Lee, Pete Wickiser, and Jay Smith tallying in the victory for the Mustangs. Stevenson earned the fourth seed in the Tournament thanks to a 4-3-1 record in conference play this season. After starting the season with a strong 9-2-2 overall record, the Mustangs struggled down the stretch going 2-3-1 in their final six games in the regular season.
Stevenson features a balanced attack that is averaging 1.70 goals per game, the fourth best in the conference this season. This season, 13 different Mustangs have found the back of the net with five players notching at least three scores this year. Their defense has been just as strong this year with a 1.05 goals against average, third lowest in the MAC Commonwealth.
Players to watch:
Jaelyn Smith - Jr. - Forward - nine goals, five assists, three game-winning goals
Alex Morales - So. - Midfield - six goals on 21 shots, one game-winning goal
Matt Stellitano - So. - Goalkeeper - 0.91 GAA, 0.821 save percentage, 78 saves
When they met:
The Falcons and Mustangs met last Wednesday in the Falcons' regular season finale. Messiah netted seven goals in the shutout victory with four tallies coming in a nine-minute stretch in the first-half. Three more goals followed after the break in Messiah's highest scoring game since Oct. 18, 2014 (118 games). Messiah out shot the Mustangs 25-14 in the victory.
No. 2 Lycoming College Warriors - 12-6-0, 6-2-0
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How they got here:
The Warriors locked up the No. 2 seed in the MAC Commonwealth Tournament after finishing the season with a 12-6 overall record and a 6-2-0 mark in the conference. The Warriors started the conference slate with a 1-2-0 record with a win over Widener before 1-0 losses to Arcadia and Messiah. Five-straight victories ended the season for Lycoming and Warriors took the second seed in the Tournament.
Like Messiah, Lycoming's defense has been their calling card. With just 14 goals allowed this season, the Warriors hold a 0.78 goals against average that is second-best in the conference this season. Offensively, Lycoming spreads the goals around. Despite no player collecting for more than four goals this season, eight different players have notched at least two scores this season.
Players to watch:
Tanner Fonjweng - Sr. - Midfield - four goals, three assists, three game-winning goals
Kalu Ume - So. - Forward - four goals, four game-winning goals
Zack Donoway - So. - Goalkeeper - 0.79 GAA, 0.822 save percentage, 37 saves
When they met:
Back on Oct. 16, the Falcons traveled to Williamsport on a rainy Wednesday afternoon and came home with a 1-0 victory over the Warriors.
Brit Haseltine scored off a rebound in the 33rd minute for the lone goal of the contest. Lycoming had a dangerous chance in the final minutes, but the Falcons kept the clean sheet to earn a 1-0 victory.
No. 3 Arcadia University Knights - 9-8-2, 4-2-2
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How they got here:
After a rollercoaster season that saw them go 9-8-2 overall, the Knights land in the Conference Tournament as the No. 3 seed. Arcadia had two separate three-game winning streaks with one coming at the beginning of September and a second during conference play in late October. Just as their record indicates, the Knights are a .500 team in nearly every statistical category.
In 19 regular season games, Arcadia has scored 23 goals while allowing 23 tallies to their opponents. Additionally, shots (249 Arcadia - 239 Opponents), shots on goal (115-108), assists (20-19), saves (85-91), fouls (174-184), and even yellow cards (14-13) are nearly identical. The only category where their opponents have held an edge this season has been on corner kicks. Arcadia has earned 65 corners against 94 by their opponents.
Players to watch:
Duncan O'Connor - Jr. - Midfield - eight goals, one assist, four game-winning goals
Keegan Bower - Jr. - Forward - four goals, three assists, two game-winning goals
Jake Varrato - So. - Goalkeeper - 1.14 GAA, 0.786 save percentage, 81 saves, seven shutouts
When they met:
Early in the conference schedule, the Falcons and Knights met on Shoemaker Field on Oct. 8. Messiah scored the first five tallies of the game en route to a 5-1 victory.
Lucas Kokolios,
Trevor Goodling,
Darryl Daniels,
Luke Groothoff, and
Chris Sepessy were the goal scorers for Messiah while the Knights found their score in the final seconds. Messiah outshot the Knights 23-13 in the match.
