GRANTHAM, Pa. – The Messiah College men's lacrosse team was able to hold Southern Virginia's second-half push to claim a 17-10 triumph on Tuesday afternoon on their home turf.  The Falcons improved to 1-1 on the young season.

After Messiah led 10-3 at halftime, the Knights came back reenergized, controlling the third-quarter and pulling within four at 13-9 early in the fourth period. Messiah weathered the pressure, responding with four-straight goals in the middle of the fourth quarter, before claiming the 17-10 victory.

Leading the team in scoring, senior Joseph Franken and junior Garrett Amsbaugh each scored five goals in pursuit of the Falcons' first win. Junior Liam Lilianthal recorded six points with three assists and three goals. A dominating performance in the face-off circle, sophomore Lucas Honebrink went 24 of 29 on face-off attempts.

Stoker Helping Messiah's Comeback
After the Knights tallied the first two goals of the contest, Messiah charged back with four of their own in just a two-minute span to close out the first period, leading 4-2. Messiah tied the game up thanks to back-to-back goals from Lilianthal and Honebrink. Seconds after Lilianthal put Messiah on the board, Honebrink scooped up the face-off and ran it up the field, uncorking a shot into the back of the cage to knot the game at 2-2. The Falcons kept the scoring going with Franken and Amsbaugh tallying goals, finishing the quarter with the 4-2 lead.

Both goalies stopped quality scoring chances in the opening period, with junior goalkeeper Evan Stoker stopping eight shots for the Falcons and Southern Virginia's goalie picking up seven saves in the opening period.

Franken Lights Up to Open the Lead
The Falcons fueled a second-period push, tallying six of the seven goals in the quarter, taking a 10-3 lead at the break.

Leading the charge was Franken who registered three goals in a four-minute span to balloon the Falcons' lead to 7-3 with 7:45 remaining in the half. The senior tallied consecutive goals with 10:51 and 9:24 remaining in the period to net his hat trick. The Knights answered with a goal of their own by Zach Danneman with eight minutes remaining before the half, but Franken was not done scoring. He recorded his third goal of the quarter less than 15 seconds after Danneman's tally to give Messiah a four-goal lead.

Led by the Knight's four failed clear attempts, the Falcons kept putting the pressure onto the opponent's defense. Amsbaugh's goal continued the push with five minutes remaining in the second period. After a minor penalty on the Knights, the Falcons had a man-up opportunity and converted with three minutes remaining in the second with junior Hunter Bellows ripping a shot past the goalie, recording his first goal of the day. With a quick pass by junior Mitch Salanty found Amsbaugh in the slot who drilled his second goal into the back of the cage, putting the Falcons up 10-3 with 2:16 remaining in the half.

Messiah's attack in the second period concluded the half with a 31-28 advantage in shots. Honebrink won nine face-offs compared to three for the Knights.

Southern Virginia opened the scoring in the third but Messiah sank two from far distance with goals by Franken and Lilenthal. Franken netted his fifth goal of the day off an assist from Bellows while Lilenthal scored his second of the afternoon. Messiah held an 12-4 advantage three minutes into the period.

The Knight's Second-Half Push
The Knights came out of halftime, refueled and ready to attack as they cut the lead 13-9. After Messiah scored twice to take a 12-4 lead, the Knights answered with two straight goals, cutting the Falcons lead to 12-6. Ambaugh went around the net and snipped a shot over the goalie's shoulder to stop the Knights' run momentarily. Southern Virginia answered by scoring the next two by Zach Danneman and Shawn Lamb.

The Falcons broke a nearly 17-minute scoreless streak with a man-up goal from Amsbaugh off a Franken dime with 5:39 left in the fourth, extending the Messiah lead to 14-9. The Falcons unleashed three goals to finish their scoring with tallies from senior Steven Dunn. Lilenthal, and senior Dylan Gillisse. With time winding down, the Knight's Lamb fired a last second shot, connecting for the final goal of the day – concluding the game by a score of 17-10.

Beyond the Box Score
With a monstrous day in the face-off circle, Honebrink went 24-for-29 and 14 groundballs. Bellows and Amsbaugh each recorded a team-high 13 shots while Stoker finished the game with 18 saves.

Messiah had a strong day on the clearance, going 18-22 on the afternoon, while forcing seven failed clearances for the Knights (20-27). The Falcons were dominate when they had an extra man opportunities, converting three of their four attempts.

What's Up Next
The Falcons will hit the road for the first time this season as they play against No. 14 Ohio Wesleyan in a neutral site game at Peters Township High School in McMurray, Pa. on Saturday, Feb. 23 at 1:00 p.m.