ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. - Playing against their local rival for the first time since 2017, Messiah men's soccer netted three second-half tallies to earn a 3-0 shutout victory against the Elizabethtown Blue Jays on Wednesday night. Trevor Goodling got Messiah on the board with a goal in the 50th minute before Lucas Kokolios and Luke Groothoff each tallied their first scores of the year in the 60th and 65th minutes, respectively.
 
Messiah held a 15-10 advantage in shots, but owned just a 7-6 advantage in shots on target in the match.
 
Between the pipes, Nate Flanders earned a half dozen saves to earn his third shutout of the year.
 
With the victory, Messiah improves to 5-2-2 on the season and they will next be in action on Saturday afternoon when they host the No. 3 John Carroll at 1:00 p.m. on Shoemaker Field.
 
Level Opening Half
Messiah and Elizabethtown played scoreless soccer in the opening half of Wednesday night's match with the Falcons holding a slight, 6-5 edge in total shots. Messiah put just one shot on frame during the opening half with an attempt by Ben Lefever turned away in the 33rd minute.
 
The Blue Jays tested Flanders twice in the first half, but the Messiah senior was up to the challenge, making a pair of stellar saves in the 19th and 32nd minutes to keep the game scoreless heading into the half.
 
Falcons on the Board
After a quick half-time break, Messiah on the offensive in the second half, wasting little time getting on the board with a strike from Trevor Goodling. Luke Groothoff fed Goodling for his team-leading fourth goal of the season. All four of Goodling's tallies have come in the last three games, thanks to a hat trick against York last Wednesday night.
 
The shot from Goodling was the first of nine attempts that the Falcons would take after the break.
 
Messiah Adds Insurance
After Flanders made a pair of key saves in the 54th and 57th minutes to keep it a 1-0 Messiah lead, the Falcons added some insurance off the first tally of the season for Lucas Kokolios in the 60th minute. The tally came just 30 seconds after the Blue Jays were whistled for an offsides penalty and doubled Messiah's lead to 2-0 with 30 minutes to play.
 
The Blue Jays attempted to cut into the lead over the following minutes, but another save from Flanders came in the 61st minute off a shot from Elizabethtown's Tate Mohney. After an attempt from Clark Williamson went wide right in the 63rd minute the game remained 2-0 in favor of Messiah.
 
After missing the first seven games of the season due to injury, Luke Groothoff made his impact felt on Saturday night creating dangerous chances against Salisbury for the Falcons. On Wednesday, he found the back of the net for the first time on the season in the 65th minute to put the cherry on top of a 3-0 Messiah victory over their rivals down Route 283.
 
What's Up Next
With the victory, Messiah moves to 5-2-2 on the season and 5-0-2 in their last seven games. The Falcons will now return home to take on the No. 3 John Carroll Blue Streaks at 1:00 p.m. on Shoemaker Field. Saturday's meeting will be the first-ever between Messiah and John Carroll.