GRANTHAM, Pa. – In a key matchup in determining seeding for the upcoming MAC Commonwealth Championships, the Messiah men's lacrosse squad hung tough with the Stevenson Mustangs but fell by a 17-6 final. Messiah battled tough through the first 30 minutes and trailed by just three, 7-4 at the half. Stevenson then powered to outscore the Falcons 10-2 in the final two periods and claim the important conference win on Wednesday evening.
 
Liam Lilienthal and Garrett Amsbaugh netted two goals each in the regular-season finale. Between the pipes, Jacob Fahnestock recorded 11 saves in the first 45 minutes and Evan Stoker finished the game out in the fourth quarter, recording three saves and one goal allowed.
 
The Falcons conclude the regular season with a 9-7 record and a 6-2 conference record. The Mustangs head into their final regular season matchup on Saturday with an undefeated, 6-0 conference record.
 
With their play this season, the Falcons secured the No. 2 seed in the upcoming MAC Commonwealth Tournament and will host the No. 3 seed Lycoming Warriors on Wednesday, May 1 at a time to be determined. In the regular season matchup, the Falcons took down the Warriors by a score of 12-8.
 
Messiah's Early Mistakes
Stevenson waited little time taking an early advantage with two tallies in the first three minutes of the contest, both scored by Jacob Tatum.
 
With the score at 2-0, the Mustangs pressured the Falcons, forcing five turnovers in a span of 10 minutes. Despite the Falcons turnovers, Messiah's defense stood strong, keeping the deficit at just two until Amsbaugh put the Falcons on the board with 2:14 left in the first. Just over a minute later, Stevenson ended the first half with another tally with 57 seconds remaining in the quarter to take a 3-1 lead.
 
Stevenson Extends Its Lead
Early in the second quarter, Liam Lilienthal cut the Stevenson lead back to one at 3-2, but the Mustangs answered back by scoring three straight goals in an eight-minute period to extend their lead to 6-2.
 
In the final three minutes before the break, Hunter Bellows and Lilienthal brought the deficit down to 7-4.
 
Ethan Christensen opened the third period for Stevenson with his second goal of the game. That tally started a 9-0 run that lasted the entire third quarter. The dominating third period put the Mustangs up 16-4, heading into the fourth quarter.
 
The Falcons trailed by 12 entering the final quarter and showed some fight in the fourth with tallies from Dylan Gillisse and Amsbaugh. Unfortunately, it was not enough as the Mustangs' double-digit lead was too much for the Falcons to overcome and Messiah fell by a 17-6 final score.  
 
What's Up Next
Having locked up the second seed, Messiah will now look ahead to the MAC Commonwealth Championships that will get underway next Wednesday, May 1 at home. Game time for Wednesday's semifinals has yet to be determined. Check GoMessiah.com early next week for a full preview of the Conference Tournament.