NEW YORK, N.Y. - The No. 4 Messiah men's soccer team moved to 5-0-2 on the season with a 2-1 victory over the No. 10 New York University Violets on Saturday afternoon. The Falcons scored the first two tallies of the contest with scores from Grant Johnson and Matt McDonald, but the Violets connected in the 84th minute to make things interesting. Messiah was able to hold on thanks to quality play between the pipes from Jared Pavlovich and his seven saves.
 
The Violets outshot the Falcons 14-11 in the contest, putting eight of their attempts on frame against four from the visiting Falcons.
 
Messiah will be back in action on Wednesday when they host the Lycoming Warriors on Shoemaker Field in a non-conference contest beginning at 7:00 p.m.
 
Falcons Strike First
Messiah had the first dangerous moment of the game when Lucas Kokolios sent a cross to the back post in the seventh minute. Luke Groothoff was on the other end of the cross hammering a low header that was saved by NYU keeper, Luca Mancuso. The Falcons had another look in the eighth minute, but Trevor Goodling's attempt was well outside the left post.
 
The Violets took their first shot of the contest in the 18th minute, but Jared Pavlovich was ready, making his first of seven saves in the contest.
 
Just over a minute later the Falcons found a tally. Grant Johnson made an overlapping run down the left side. He played a little give and go with Jonathan Groothoff and got into the box with the ball. A tackle from an NYU defender popped the ball up, but it went right into Johnson's chest and he brought it down to himself. A touch later, Johnson was one-on-one with the keeper, who he beat to the far post for his fourth career goal and the 1-0 Messiah lead.
 
Violets on the Front Foot
For the remainder of the half, it was NYU with the better run of play. The Violets attempted six shots over the final 26 minutes while the Falcons sent just one toward the goal.
 
Jared Pavlovich made four saves in total in the opening half, with three coming after Johnson's goal in the 23rd, 29th, and 42nd minutes.
 
Despite trailing 7-4 in shots in the opening 45 minutes, Messiah held a 1-0 advantage on the scoreboard.
 
Doubling the Lead
In the 62nd minute, the Falcons doubled their lead with Zackary Venus winning possession and carrying possession down the left side. He then slipped a pass to Matt McDonald at the top of the box. McDonald took a touch and then curled a low shot around a defender inside the right post for the 2-0 Messiah lead. The score was McDonald's team-leading third score of the season.
 
NYU Cuts Into the Lead
In the following stretch after Messiah doubled their lead, both sides had opportunities to connect. The Falcons' 2-0 lead stayed intact until the 84th minute when NYU's Nicholas Suter poked through a loose ball to cut the lead in half.
 
After the Violets made it a 2-1 game, the NYU pressure was turned up a notch. Messiah was up for the challenge, with Pavlovich saving their last shot in the 85th minute and the Falcons clearing away a corner kick in the 87th minute.
 
Messiah was able to kill off the final few minutes of clock and earn the 2-1 victory against a top-10 foe. With the win, Messiah moves to 5-0-2 on the season.
 
What's Up Next
The Falcons will be back in action this Wednesday when they host the Lycoming Warriors in a non-conference match at 7:00 p.m. on Shoemaker Field.