Grantham, Pa. - Reid Ruark connected on a header in the 107th minute to lift the No. 9 Messiah men's soccer team to a 1-0 victory over the visiting Mary Hardin-Baylor Crusaders on Saturday night. The tilt was a back-and-forth battle all night long with both teams having quality chances throughout the contest. Both the Falcons and Crusaders finished the night with 18 shots, each picking up eight before halftime and then 10 more in the second half and overtime combined.
 
In front of a packed house, Messiah earned a corner kick with just a few minutes remaining in the second overtime period. Cole Cristian delivered a beautiful ball toward the back post where Ruark hammered home the game-winner to send a packed Shoemaker Field bleachers into a frenzy.
 
Messiah improves to 1-0-0 with the win while Mary Hardin-Baylor drops to 1-1-0 on the young season. The Falcons will be back in action on Monday evening when they hose Eastern Connecticut State at 6:00 p.m. on Shoemaker Field.
 
Chances for Both Sides
Trevor Goodling had the first quality chance for either side in the fifth minute with a look from the right side. He hit a shot low and hard toward the back post, but a solid save by Dalton Lloyd kept the match scoreless.
 
The look from Goodling was the first of four shots that the Falcons would put on frame in the first half. Luke Groothoff (15th minute), Grant Johnson (16th minute) and Matt McDonald (35th minute) accounted for the other three on-frame attempts for the Falcons in the half. Jake Lent-Koop also rattled a header off the cross bar in the middle of the period, to round out some of the best looks for the Falcons before the break.
 
Despite a few quality looks, Messiah ended the half on their heels with the Crusaders as the aggressors. Mary Hardin-Baylor took three shots in the final seven minutes of the half, but held possession for the majority of the final stretch.
 
Both teams took eight shots in the first half, with Messiah putting four on frame against three from the Crusaders.
 
Just Offsides
It looked for a moment that Messiah notched the go-ahead tally just three minutes after the half when Ben Lefever slotted a loose ball into the back of the net. The celebration was quickly halted after it was ruled that he was offside.
 
Scary Moment
In the 70th minute, Mary Hardin-Baylor had their best look of the evening with multiple shots taken from point blank range. The ball was thrown into the box and four shots were recorded in a minute. Keeper Jared Pavlovich and the Falcons' defense held off the push and somehow kept the ball out of the back of the net. Pavlovich recorded one save in the stretch.
 
Despite some close calls for both sides, Messiah and Mary Hardin-Baylor headed to overtime still in search of a score.
 
Just Need One
It seemed that the Crusaders were comfortable taking their time and limiting the chances in the overtime periods. Mary Hardin-Baylor held the bulk of possession in the first overtime period, but both sides recorded one shot during the 10-minute period.
 
In the second overtime, it looked like the season opening match was destined for a draw, but the Falcons earned a corner kick in the 107th minute. Cole Cristian curled the corner toward the back post where Reid Ruark stood. Ruark elevated and directed the delivery into the left side netting for the third goal of his career and the game-winning golden goal in the 2021 season opener.
 
What's Up Next
On Monday, the Falcons will welcome Eastern Connecticut State to Shoemaker Field for the first-ever meeting between the Falcons and Warriors. The non-conference match will take place at 6:00 p.m. on Monday evening.