GRANTHAM, Pa. – The No. 2 Messiah men's soccer team continued their strong play through the beginning of MAC Commonwealth play with a 4-0 victory over the York Spartans on Tuesday night. Josh Bratager got the scoring going late in the first half before three second half goals carried the Falcons to the shutout victory.
 
Second-half goals were scored by Matt McDonald, Patrick Lee, and Stefan Leitzel as the Falcons move to 12-0-1 overall and 3-0-0 in the conference this season.
 
Messiah will be back in action on Saturday when they host the Eastern Eagles in another conference tilt at 7:30 p.m. on Shoemaker Field.
 
On the Board Before the Break
The Falcons had a handful of dangerous moments throughout the start of Tuesday's contest. The best quality came in the 13th minute off a shot from Trevor Swartz that rattled off the post. Matt McDonald also had a chance early in the match, but as he attempted to dribble around the keeper lost possession with a defender on his back.
 
In the 41st minute, the Falcons finally found the back of the net. Caleb Aldridge carried possession into the right-side of the box by battling his way through two Spartan defenders and dribbling around a third. Aldridge got to the endline and slipped a pass to the middle of the box. Stefan Leitzel let the pass through, and it found the foot of Josh Bratager. A hard shot into the center of the goal mouth from Bratager put the Falcons in front 1-0.
 
Adding Insurance
That 1-0 lead carried into the second half, but three goals in the 50th, 62nd, and 76th minutes gave the Falcons the 4-0 victory, their third-straight 4-0 win in MAC Commonwealth play.
 
Matt McDonald was the first to add insurance for the Falcons, scoring his 13th tally of the season off a feed from Cole Cristian. Like so many of his goals this season, McDonald finished the through ball with a little one-touch finess. McDonald chipped his shot over the keeper that hustled out to meet the feed. His shot had just enough momentum to cross the goal line before a York defender knocked it out of the goal. Despite the defender's efforts, the goal counted, and Messiah was up 2-0.
 
In the 62nd minute, Patrick Lee found himself on the right side with the ball. Lee just blew past his defender and went to the near post, slipping his shot past the keeper for a 3-0 lead.
 
The Falcons scored their fourth and final tally in the 76th minute. Zackary Venus held possession on the right side, eventually getting to the end line. His left-footed cross found the head of Stefan Leitzel at the penalty spot. Leitzel's header hit the underside of the crossbar and bounced in for his third tally of the season and the 4-0 Messiah lead.
 
Messiah attempted 20 shots in the contest, outshooting the Spartans 20-6 in the match. Eleven of Messiah's 20 attempts went on frame, while York sent one shot on frame in the 89th minute. Drew Steif made the save to preserve the clean sheet.
 
What's Up Next
As mentioned, the Falcons improve to 12-0-1 on the season and 3-0-0 in the MAC Commonwealth. All three of Messiah's conference victories this season have come by scores of 4-0. Messiah will be back in action on Saturday when they host the Eastern Eagles at 7:30 p.m. on Shoemaker Field.