GRANTHAM, Pa. - Last weekend the Messiah men's soccer team advanced to the Second Weekend of the NCAA Tournament in dramatic fashion, scoring the game-winning tally against the run of play in the 83rd minute to defeat the Kenyon Lords 2-1. This weekend, Messiah will travel to Lexington, Va. to the campus of Washington & Lee for the Sweet 16 and potential Elite Eight rounds of the Tournament. The Falcons will face Hanover College on Saturday afternoon at 3:30 p.m. while the host Washington & Lee Generals will square off with the Christopher Newport Captains at 1:00 p.m.
The winners of Saturday's Third-Round matches will play on Sunday with a trip to the Final Four on the line. That Elite Eight match on Sunday is scheduled to begin at 3:00 p.m. in Lexington, Va.
Please note, tickets are required for admission to the NCAA Third and Fourth Rounds. Tickets can be bought at the gate for the following admission prices: General Admission - $10, Students - $5, Children (under three) - Free.
See below for a quick preview of the teams heading to Lexington, Va.
The Falcons started the season 4-0-2, earning draws against Muhlenberg and Elizabethtown before claiming 10-straight victories to move to 14-0-2. The Falcons ended the regular season with a non-conference, 1-0 loss to Penn State Harrisburg, but rebounded nicely with a 2-0 victory over Stevenson and a thrilling 2-1 overtime win over Lebanon Valley to secure their 19th Conference Championship in program history.
Last weekend, Messiah earned a 2-0 victory over the Mount Aloysius Mounties in the Opening Round and then earned a thrilling 2-1 victory over the Kenyon Lords on Sunday to punch their ticket to the Sweet 16 for the 24th time in program history. Messiah needed an 84th minute tally from
Ben Lefever to earn the game-winning score against Kenyon. In that game, Messiah was outshot 18-7, putting just two shots on goal. Both of their shots went in to earn the victory.
The Falcons are the most successful NCAA Tournament team in Division III men's soccer history. Messiah has claimed 11 National Championships (all since 2000) and been in the Tournament 31 total times. Messiah holds an overall NCAA Tournament Record of 91-17-5 for a .824 winning percentage. The Falcons have advanced to 15 Final Fours and have outscored opponents 257-72 in Tournament Games.
Players to Watch:
#21 -
Matt McDonald - Jr. - F - eight goals, four assists, First Team All-MAC Commonwealth
#23 -
Trevor Goodling - Sr. - M - eight goals, three assists, First Team All-MAC Commonwealth
#22 -
Jake Lent-Koop - Jr. - D - six goals, three game-winners, First Team All-MAC Commonwealth
#11 -
Ben Lefever - Jr. - F - four goals, five assists, Second Team All-MAC Commonwealth
Hanover College Panthers
15-4-2, 8-1-0 Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference
Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference
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Hanover started the 2021 season with a 3-3-1 overall record with a 1-2-1 mark against teams that eventually made the NCAA Tournament. The Panthers defeated Centre (3-1 on the road) and drew Kenyon (1-1 at home), while suffering losses to Otterbein (4-1 at home) and Washington and Lee (2-0 at home). Since a 3-1 loss against Wabash on Sept. 18, Hanover has gone 12-1-1, winning the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference Championship in a penalty kick shootout and claiming their first two NCAA Tournament wins in program history.
Last weekend the Panthers claimed their first-ever victory in the NCAA Tournament defeating Lynchburg 2-1 in the First Round. Lynchburg scored in the 57th minute to take a 1-0 lead, but Hanover netted a late equalizer by Joao Domenici in the 87th minute before Fernando Martin connected for the winner in the 97th minute. In the game, Hanover outshot the Hornets 21-4.
In the Second Round, Hanover defeated Emory 1-0 thanks to a 58th minute rip from Xander Ochsner from 25 yards out. Emory outshot the Panthers 11-6 in the game with 10 of those shots coming in the second half while Hanover held their 1-0 lead. Hanover advanced to the Sweet 16 for the first time ever in program history after advancing to the NCAA Tournament for the third time ever (2016, 2019, 2021).
History against Messiah: The Falcons and Panthers have never met in men's soccer.
Players to Watch:
#33 - Evan Redmon - Sr. - M - two assists, HCAC Defensive POY, First Team All-Conference
#8 - Fellipe Busato - Sr. - M - four goals, First Team All-Conference
#9 - Josh Hughes - Sr. - F - 12 goals, six assists, four game-winners, First Team All-Conference
#99 - Luke Eppler - Sr. - F - seven goals, one assist, First Team All-Conference
After a 1-1 draw at Emory in their season opener, the Generals have been on a roll. Washington and Lee has held the top-spot in the National Rankings for the majority of the season and come into this weekend's play as the hosts with an overall record of 16-1-2. The Generals dropped their ODAC Semifinal match to Randolph by a 3-2 final score for their first loss of the season. Their only other draw was a 1-1 match against Roanoke late in the regular season. One of the more prolific offenses in the country, the Generals score 3.32 goals per game while holding opponents to a 0.74 GAA.
Last weekend in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament, the Generals actually fell behind early against the Baruch Bearcats. Baruch scored in the fourth minute, but the Generals calmly netted four goals in the next 16 minutes with three coming from Adrian Zimmerman to build a lead. Another goal from Zimmerman followed in the 30th minute and Connor Wharton added a second-half score as Washington and Lee earned a 6-1 victory.
In the Second Round, the Generals earned a 2-1 victory over the Covenant Scots to move into the Sweet 16 for the third time in program history. It was Zimmerman again give the Generals a lead in the 54th minute, but Covenant responded in the 60th minute. Grant McCarty connected on the game-winner in the 86th minute to punch the Generals' ticket to the Second Weekend.
The Generals have made seven all-time appearances in the NCAA Tournament and hold an overall record of 7-5-3.
History against Messiah: The Falcons and Generals have met 10 times in program history with Messiah owning an 8-2-0 overall record. However, the two teams have only met twice since the 1980s. In their recent two meetings, Messiah claimed a 1-0 overtime victory on Oct. 10, 2015 at home while also defeating Washington and Lee 4-0 on the road on Oct. 8, 2016.
Players to Watch:
#22 - Weyimi Agbeyegbe - Fr. - M - five goals, five assists, ODAC Rookie of the Year, Second Team All-Conference
#36 - Adrian Zimmerman - So. - F - 11 goals, four assists, First Team All-Conference
#6 - Samuel Bass - Jr. - F - 12 goals, seven assists, First Team All-Conference
#10 - Michael Kutsannzira - Jr. - M - six goals, 12 assists, First Team All-Conference
Through the end of September, the Captains held an overall record of 3-3-2 after a brutal four-match stretch against three teams currently in the Sweet 16 and one that was bounced last Sunday in the Second Round. Christopher Newport went 1-3-0 during the stretch, falling to Chicago (3-1 on the road), Washington and Lee (2-1 on the road), and Emory (1-0 in OT at a neutral site). They did however earn a 1-0 victory over North Park on the road. Since that stretch, the Captains have lose just one match, going 9-1-0 since the start of October, winning the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference, and advancing to the Sweet 16 for the fifth time in program history.
In the First Round last weekend, Christopher Newport scored a pair of goals in the first 22 minutes en route to a 3-0 victory over the Eastern Connecticut State Warriors. The match might have been a little tighter than the score indicated with the Warriors putting four shots on goal to the Captains' six, but Christopher Newport earned the clean sheet.
On Sunday in the Second Round, the Captains scored in the 79th minute to defeat Rowan 1-0. The Profs were playing a man down after a red card in the 68th minute. The Captains came out on top in a tightly contested game that had only three total shots on goal. The Captains put their only shot on goal in the back of the net for the 1-0 winner from Tanner Dail late in the second half. Rowan outshot the Captains 8-7 in the match.
This is the Captains' 12th ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Christopher Newport owns a 15-9-4 record in the NCAA Tournament, including five trips to the Elite Eight.
History with Messiah: Messiah and Christopher Newport have met seven times in their programs' history. The Falcons own a 7-0-0 record against the Captains with their last meeting coming in the NCAA Second Round back in 2016. The Falcons won that match 2-0 on Shoemaker Field.
Player to Watch:
#18 - Davis Pillow - Sr. - D - one goal, one assists, C2C Defensive Player of the Year, First Team All-Conference
#29 - Will Collins - Sr. - F - six goals, four assists, First Team All-Conference
#36 - Cory Hogge - Sr. - M - three goals, three assists, First Team All-Conference
#35 - Owen Burnett - Jr. - F - three goals, three assists, Second Team All-Conference
