ANNVILLE, Pa. – On Thursday morning, the Middle Atlantic Conference announced their All-Conference and Annual Awards for the 2021 men's soccer season. Among the All-MAC Commonwealth honorees were nine student-athletes and head coach
Brad McCarty. The Falcons earned five members on the First Team with
Matt McDonald at forward,
Jake Lent-Koop on defense, and
Luke Brautigam,
Trevor Goodling, and
Luke Groothoff in the midfield.
Brad McCarty earned his seventh MAC Commonwealth Coach of the year honor during his 12 seasons leading the Falcons.
A trio of Falcons earned Second Team honors with
Ben Lefever,
Jarec Morlote, and
Jared Pavlovich picking up accolades.
Jonathan Groothoff also claimed Honorable Mention laurels.
As a team, the Falcons had nine student-athletes earn All-Conference accolades, the most among MAC Commonwealth schools. Both Lebanon Valley and Alvernia finished with five members on the All-MAC Commonwealth teams. No other team picked up more than two accolades.
Matt McDonald,
Ben Lefever, and
Jonathan Groothoff were the three Messiah forwards to earn All-Conference honors for the Falcons with McDonald on the First Team, Lefever on the Second Team, and Groothoff claiming Honorable Mention accolades. McDonald's physical presence up top has been difficult for opposing defenses to contain. The junior forward leads the Falcons thus far with 19 points on eight goals and three assists. He has been stellar recently with a score in both of Messiah's MAC Commonwealth Tournament games and five goals in the last six games.
Midway through the season, Lefever bumped from target to the wing and has two goals and three assists on the season. His athleticism has been on display on the outside, breaking down defenders and creating consistent chances for the Falcons' attack.
Jonathan Groothoff earned his second career All-MAC Commonwealth Honorable Mention after scoring three goals this season.
In the midfield, Messiah had three members earn First Team All-Conference accolades in
Luke Brautigam,
Trevor Goodling, and
Luke Groothoff. All three showed their abilities to push forward and impact the game offensively while also controlling possession in typical Messiah fashion.
Of the three, Goodling has been the leading scorer with seven tallies and a trio of assists. Brautigam has pushed through a half dozen scores while adding three assists as well. Despite being held to 13 games this season, Groothoff netted five goals and added an assist, his most productive offensive game of the season came against Lycoming where he connected twice and added an assist in a 3-0 victory.
Jake Lent-Koop and
Jarec Morlote earned All-Conference honors, picking up First and Second Team honors, respectively. The duo anchored a Messiah defense that has allowed just nine goals on the season for a 0.47 GAA, the sixth-lowest mark in the country this season. The Falcons picked up 11 shutouts and allowed two goals in a game just one time this season in a 3-2 overtime victory against Eastern. In addition to their defensive positioning, Morlote has dished out three assists and Lent-Koop has connected for five goals, including three game winners. None of Lent-Koop's tallies were bigger than his header in the 94th minute of the MAC Commonwealth Championship Game that lifted Messiah past Lebanon Valley 2-1.
The Falcons' starting goalkeeper,
Jared Pavlovich, claimed his first career All-Conference honor after starting all 19 games so far this season. Pavlovich earned Second Team laurels after playing 1,650 minutes between the pipes this season. He has made 39 saves on the year, allowing just eight goals for a 0.44 GAA, the eighth lowest mark in the country this season. Pavlovich has compiled eight solo shutouts this year, including a 0.830 save percentage.
Leading the Falcons is head coach
Brad McCarty, who earned his seventh career MAC Commonwealth Coach of the Year honor. McCarty has guided the Falcons to an overall record of 16-1-2 and the 2021 MAC Commonwealth Championship. He has now claimed each of the last five honors announced. Previously, McCarty won the honor in 2010, 2013, 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019. In his 12 years as the head coach of Messiah men's soccer, McCarty has led the Falcons to an overall record of 243-18-16, nine MAC Commonwealth Championships, and five National Championships (2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2017).
After winning their 19th MAC Commonwealth Championship in program history last Saturday, the Falcons will begin the NCAA Tournament this weekend when they host Mount Aloysius, Kenyon, and Catholic in the opening weekend of the NCAA Tournament. The Falcons will take on Mount Aloysius in the First Round of the Tournament on Saturday at 1:00 p.m. on Shoemaker Field.
