GRANTHAM, Pa. - The No. 9 Messiah men's soccer team earned a 3-0 shutout victory over a former MAC Commonwealth foe on Wednesday night, defeating the Lycoming Warriors on Shoemaker Field. The Falcons dominated possession, attempting 27 shots against just four from the visiting Warriors. Luke Groothoff highlighted the night for the Falcons with a pair of goals and an assist as the Falcons moved to 6-0-2 on the season.
 
Groothoff scored in the 18th and 56th minutes while assisting on a double-header goal in the 87th minute that Jake Lent-Koop scored off a corner.
 
The victory wraps up Messiah's non-conference slate and the Falcons will be back in action on Saturday when they travel to York for their MAC Commonwealth opener.
 
Groothoff's Laser
Messiah started the match on the attack with six shots in the first 12 minutes. Despite putting just one of those attempts on frame, a Trevor Goodling shot in the ninth minute, Messiah was on the front foot from the start. The Falcons forced a second save in the 18th minute off a shot from Luke Brautigam and in the ensuing scramble, the ball bounced to the top of the box for Luke Groothoff.
 
Groothoff ran onto the bouncing ball for a left-footed strike that the Lycoming keeper barely had time to react to. His screamer into the upper 90 gave the Falcons a 1-0, but Groothoff was just getting started.
 
Adding a Second
After Nick Wilke, the Lycoming keeper, made a handful of nice saves late in the first half to keep it a 1-0 game at the break, Groothoff netted his second score of the evening in the 56th minute. This time he did the damage with a little more finesse, moving his way through the Warriors' defense with controlled touches in the box before beating the keeper to his right for the 2-0 lead.
 
The score tied Groothoff for the team lead with three goals this season, leveling him with Matt McDonald.
 
Double-Header Insurance
It looked as if Messiah would hold on for the 2-0 victory, but in the 87th minute, off their 10th corner of the evening, the Falcons would find one more moment of brilliance. Grant Johnson curled the corner into the box for Matt McDonald, who headed it back toward Luke Groothoff toward the top of the box. Groothoff sent it back into the mix for Jake Lent-Koop, who redirected it into the back of the net for his first goal of the season and a 3-0 Messiah lead with just minutes remaining in the contest.
 
The Falcons went on to win by that 3-0 margin, outshooting the Warriors 27-4 in the process and out cornering Lycoming 10-0 in the match.
 
What's Up Next
With the victory, the Falcons improve to 6-0-2 on the season and will be back in action on Saturday when they travel to York to take on the Spartans at 3:30 p.m. for their first MAC Commonwealth contest of the season. It will also mark the first conference match against the Spartans in Messiah men's soccer history.