YORK, Pa. – The No. 9 Messiah men's soccer team bested York College (Pa.) on the road, 4-0, on Saturday afternoon. The Falcons used four different goal scorers to claim a victory in their first MAC Commonwealth contest since the 2019 campaign.
 
After a scoreless first half of play, Luke Groothoff converted from the penalty spot in the 48th minute to give Messiah a 1-0 edge. The Falcons used the offensive momentum to net three more goals as Stefan Leitzel, Jake Lent-Koop, and Zackary Venus all tallied goals.
 
The victory improves Messiah's record to 7-0-2 overall and 1-0-0 in the conference.

The Falcons return to the pitch on Tuesday, Oct. 5, when they travel to Albright College to take on the Lions at 7:00 p.m.
 
Quality Chances, but Nothing On the Board
Messiah attempted nine first-half shots, putting five shots on goal in the opening half, but were unable to find the back of the net. The Falcons were on the front foot quickly with five shots and a pair of corner kicks in the first 20 minutes of play, but Brady Bixler, the Spartans' keeper kept the Falcons off the board with a pair of saves on a Luke Groothoff header in the 14th minute and a Jonathan Groothoff shot in the 17th minute.
 
The Spartans attempted their only shot of the first half in the 19th minute, forcing Jared Pavlovich to make a save.
 
Big Second Half
Despite the 9-1 advantage in shots favoring the Falcons, the game stood deadlocked at 0-0 heading to the second half. Messiah brought early pressure in the second half, leading to a York foul in the box just two minutes into the half. Luke Groothoff stepped up to the penalty spot and converted to give the Falcons a 1-0 lead.
 
There was no let up from the Falcons after taking a lead. Messiah continued to pressure with five shots in the next 11 minutes as they looked for insurance. In the 61st minute, Stefan Leitzel knocked a loose ball just inside the right post, doubling the Falcons' lead to 2-0. In just his second ever game playing up front, Leitzel connected for his first career goal.
 
After a number of substitutions for both sides, Messiah connected on their third goal of the night in the 68th minute off a corner kick. Cole Cristian sent a corner into the box from the left side. Jake Lent-Koop connected on the header for his second career goal and his second in as many games to boost the Messiah lead to 3-0 with just over 20 minutes to play.
 
Zackary Venus capped the victory with the fourth goal of the half in the 86th minute. Venus dribbled into the left side of the box and from almost no angle, beat the keeper high for his first goal of the season and his third career score.
 
A yellow card on York was the only other action of note in the final minutes, as Messiah earned the 4-0 victory to move to 7-0-2 overall.
 
What's Up Next
With the victory, Messiah begins the MAC Commonwealth season with a perfect 1-0-0 conference record. The Falcons will head to Reading to take on the Albright Lions on Tuesday at 7:00 p.m. before returning home on Oct. 9 for homecoming against Lebanon Valley at 6:00 p.m.