GRANTHAM, Pa. – The Messiah men's lacrosse team put on an offensive show on senior day, scoring 19 goals in the final three quarters of a 19-6 victory over the Albright Lions on Saturday night. Six different Falcons scored multiple goals on the night with 11 Falcons connecting for at least one tally. The last time the Falcons won with a margin of 13 or more was last year when Messiah won 20-6 against Hood.
 
It took 15 minutes for the Messiah offense to get going, but once it did the Lions could do little to keep the Falcons in check. Messiah was held scoreless on six shots in the opening quarter, but the Falcons tallied seven goals in the second quarter to take a 7-1 lead into halftime.
 
The Falcons notched 12 more goals after the break as Evan Stoker and Beau McCarver split time between the pipes, leading Messiah to the 13-goal victory. McCarver stopped eight shots to earn the first victory of his career.
 
Messiah's Runs Away
The Falcons held the momentum through the second quarter, scoring seven unanswered and earning a 7-1 advantage through 30 minutes of play. Messiah was held scoreless in the first quarter and then responded with a goal by Garrett Amsbaugh with seven seconds into the second quarter. Liam Lilienthal kept the scoring going with back-to-back goals. Following Lilienthal's goals, Messiah added four more to end the period.
 
After the break, the Falcons added two goals off the sticks of Joseph Franken and Hunter Bellows in the first three and a half minutes. Their goals gave the Falcons a 9-1 advantage. Albright scored its second goal of the game with 9:31 remaining in the third quarter.
 
The Falcons quickly extended their lead to take a double digit thanks to goals by Dylan Gillisse, Mitch Salanty and Bellows in a 1:42 span. Following the run, Messiah held a 12-2 lead midway through the third period.
 
Albright answered with three straight goals of their own, cutting the deficit to seven at 12-2 heading into the fourth quarter.
 
Extending The Lead
Two and a half minutes into the fourth period, Cory Hurst scored off a dish by Bellows. Just 23 seconds later the Falcons were at it again, Amsbaugh found the back to the twine with a give-and-go pass from Gillisse. Franken scored his final third and final goal of the day at 11:27.
 
With 10:20 remaining in the final period, Steven Dunn snipped a shot through the goalie's legs to give the Falcons a 16-5 advantage. The Falcons were not done scoring as Brandon Witmer earned his third tally of the season with 6:45 left in regulation. Witmer's goal ended a 5-0 run for the Falcons.
 
Albright's Terrell Ringgold added the sixth goal for the Lions. Lucas Honebrink won the insuring faceoff, charged up the field and ripped a shot right in front of the defensive line into the back of the net for his fourth tally of the season, giving Messiah the 18-6 lead.
 
Hurst concluded the scoring for the Falcons with 2:21 remaining in the period, securing the 19-6 victory.
 
Between the Pipes
With it being senior day, head coach Atsen Bulus gave McCarver the start between the pipes. The senior goalie played a total of 25:27 minutes where he made eight saves while allowing two goals. He split time with Evan Stoker who made four saves and allowed four goals.

While the two split time, McCarver was awarded his first collegiate win.
 
What's Up Next
The Falcons return back to action on Wednesday, April 10 when they host Arcadia for another MAC Commonwealth matchup. Game time is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.