GENEVA, N.Y. - The No. 5 Messiah men's soccer team opened the 2019 season by suffering a 1-0 defeat at the hands of the Hobart Statesmen on Friday afternoon. Hobart notched their goal on a long throw-in in the 31st minute off the foot of Kyle Mangold. The Statesmen outshot the Falcons in the match 13-10.
 
Nate Flanders made five saves between the pipes, allowing just the lone goal in the loss.
 
Messiah starts the season with a defeat for the first time since 2010 when, ironically enough, Hobart topped the Falcons 2-1 in overtime on Sept. 3. That was the lone loss in a 23-1-0 National Championship season for Messiah.
 
The Falcons are back in action tomorrow afternoon when they travel to Ithaca at 3:00 p.m. to complete their season opening road trip in New York.
 
Early Chances
In the early going of Friday's match, both teams had opportunities to connect with Messiah taking the first shot of the game. In the fifth minute, Cole Cristian took a shot toward the left-side of the goal mouth, but Hobart's keeper Brian Salazar turned away the early attempt and the game remained scoreless.
 
In the next 15 minutes, both the Falcons and Statesmen missed the frame with attempts, but in the things started to pick-up for Hobart with a corner in the 21st minute and a shot in the 26th minute that tested Nate Flanders. Flanders made the save, but was unable to do so just a few minutes later when Hobart got on the board off a long throw-in.
 
Hobart Breaks Through
Just 90 seconds after Nicolas Kane set a shot wide to the right for Messiah, the Statesmen countered and had a throw-in deep in Messiah territory. A long throw from Kyle Walsh skipped through the box and landed at the foot of Kyle Mangold on the right side. A one-touch shot snuck through traffic and past a diving Flanders to put the Statesmen on top 1-0 in the 31st minute.
 
More Opportunities
Hobart carried the 1-0 lead into the second-half as Messiah attempted to find the equalizer. Just like the first 30 minutes of the game, Messiah and Hobart traded chances in a relatively even battle throughout the second-half. The Statesmen's Pete Critchlow tested Flanders in the 50th minute, but the senior keeper held his ground with a diving save to keep it a one-goal game.
 
The Falcons took a total of five shots in the second-half with the most dangerous of chances coming in the closing minutes. Luke Brautigam had a shot turned away in the 86th minute and just over a minute later Joseph King ripped a shot from the left-side that slide just wide of the right post.
 
Messiah was unable to find the equalizer and Hobart held on for the 1-0 victory.
 
What's Up Next
The Falcons will complete their two-day road trip through New York when they take on Ithaca College at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday afternoon. Saturday's meeting will be the first-ever between the Falcons and Bombers in men's soccer.