HARRISONBURG, Va. - With the game tied 1-1 in the 86th minute,
Ben Lefever carried the ball into the box with a Royals' defender on his left hip. After a faking a shot to get his defender to bite, Lefever ripped an attempt past the keeper to give Messiah the eventual 2-1 victory over Eastern Mennonite on Saturday night.
Earlier in the half,
Reid Ruark got the Falcons on the board in the 56th minute with a beautiful free kick. The sophomore swung a free kick from 20 yards out around the Royals' wall and skipped it past the keeper inside the right post to give Messiah the 1-0 lead. The Royals countered in the 73rd minute with a goal from Leiyan Kariuki, but Lefever's late tally proved to be the difference.
Messiah will be back in action on Wednesday when they travel to York (Pa.) at 7:00 p.m.
Scoreless Start
After Eastern Mennonite took a pair of shots in the opening two minutes of Saturday's game, Messiah took over the driver's seat for the remainder of the first half. After 45 minutes of play, Messiah held a 14-4 advantage in shots, but despite 18 total shots between the two teams neither side was able to dent the scoreboard.
Messiah sent seven shots on goal in the opening half against just one for the Royals.
Falcons and Royals Trade Goals
After the scoreless first half, the scoring began for the Falcons in the 56th minute when Messiah was awarded a free kick just above the box. With a four-man wall standing in front of him, Ruark swung a free kick around the right side of the wall. The shot skipped past a diving keeper inside the right post to give Messiah a 1-0 lead.
The tally was the first of Ruark's career and looked for a while like it would hold up to be the game winner, but the Royals had other plans in the 73rd minute. Against the run of play, the Royals sent a shot off the right post and Leiyan Kariuki was there to clean up the miss, tapping in the equalizer for his first goal of the season.
Late Winner for Lefever
After scoring a single goal in each of the last two games,
Ben Lefever played the hero for the Falcons on Saturday night. In the 87th minute, Lefever took a pass from
Shay Quintin and moved his way into the right-side of the box. With a defender draped on his left shoulder, Lefever faked a shot before unloading the game-winning strike. The shot snuck under his defender's leg and past the outstretched arms of the Royals' keeper for his third goal in as many games.
The Falcons held on for the final three minutes and change to earn their third victory of the season.
Across the 90 minutes of play, Messiah held a 30-10 advantage in shots, putting 14 on frame while the Royals sent just three of their attempts on goal.
What's Up Next
After dropping the first two games of the season, Messiah is now 3-0-1 in their last four games. The Falcons will be back on the field on Wednesday night when they take the short trip to York College for a rivalry match against their local foe at 7:00 p.m.
