ALLENTOWN, Pa. – Lucas Kokolios scored in the fifth minute of the contest, but the Messiah men's soccer team finished Saturday with a 1-1 draw against the Muhlenberg Mules. Muhlenberg found the equalizer in the 21st minute and despite the Falcons applying pressure throughout the second half and overtime, Messiah was unable to find the game winner.
 
Messiah outshot the Mules 14-11 on the evening, putting six shots on frame against five from Muhlenberg.
 
With the draw, Messiah moves to 2-0-1 on the season and will be back in action on Wednesdays when they make the short trip to Carlisle to take on the Dickinson Red Devils at 7:00 p.m.
 
Fast Start
Lucas Kokolios wasted little time getting his season underway. After missing the first two games of the season, Kokolios netted his first goal of the season on his very first shot. In just the fifth minute, Kokolios found a loose ball on his foot on the right-side of the box. After a controlling touch to his left, Kokolios ripped a shot to the left netting for a 1-0 lead.
 
Messiah looked to double their lead, with quick shots be Ben Lefever in the 14th and 17th minutes just moments later, but they both missed off frame.
 
Mules Tie It Up
After some early pressure from the Falcons, the Mules tied things up in the 21st minute. Muhlenberg leveled the match with a tally from Brandin Osborne to even the match at 1-1. Osborne took a feed from Zack Mikuta and connected.
 
Can't Find the Winner
The Falcons put three more shots on the goal in the final 25 minutes of the first half, but the Mules keeper turned all three shots away. Despite those attempts, the match was tied 1-1 heading into the break.
 
After the half, Messiah held a slim 5-4 advantage in shots, but none could find the back of the net. The Falcons' best chances of the half came in the 50th minute with a shot from Kokolios and in the 67th minute off a header on frame by Matt McDonald. The Mules also put two shots on frame, both in the first 10 minutes of the half.
 
With no goals in the half, the match turned to overtime.
 
Muhlenberg took a pair of shots in the first overtime, putting one on frame. Jared Pavlovich turned that shot away in the 98th minute for one of his four saves on the night. In the second overtime, Messiah took one shot in the final seconds of play by Matt McDonald. His attempt was blocked and the game ended in a 1-1 draw.
 
What's Up Next
With the draw, the Falcons move to 2-0-1 on the season and will be back in action on Wednesday when they travel to Dickinson to take on the Red Devils at 7:00 p.m.