GRANTHAM, Pa. – The No. 2 Messiah men's soccer team continued their stellar offensive run through the MAC Commonwealth with a commanding, 7-0 shutout victory over the visiting Albright Lions on Shoemaker Field. The Falcons netted four first-half goals with Matt McDonald scoring two goals within a minute of each other as the Falcons built a comfortable cushion. Jake Lent-Koop and Ben Lefever accounted for the other two first-half scores.
 
After the break, Messiah netted three goals with Ben Lefever scoring his second of the match along with tallies from Stefan Leitzel and Zackary Venus.
 
The Falcons outshot the Lions 32-0 in the match.
 
With the victory, Messiah moves to 15-0-1 and 6-0-0 in the MAC Commonwealth. The Falcons will be back in action on Tuesday when they head to Annville to take on the Lebanon Valley Dutchmen at 3:30 p.m.
 
Lent-Koop Sticks with Delivery
In the 11th minute, Messiah got on the board following a corner kick. Davis Pagett took possession about 30 yards from the end line and sent a ball towards the back post in the direction of Jake Lent-Koop. The keeper came off of his line to catch the ball, but the delivery carried just over his outstretched hands. Lent-Koop was there, tapping the feed home for his fifth goal of the season and a 1-0 Messiah lead.
 
Scoring in Bunches
The Falcons got on the board again in the 19th minute with Matt McDonald finishing off a feed from Ben Lefever. With possession, Lefever worked his way to the right end line and sent a low cross to McDonald in the middle of the box. McDonald was unmarked and hammered home his finish into the middle of the goal mouth for a 2-0 lead.
 
McDonald scored his second of the night less than a minute later. In the 20th minute, Messiah won possession deep in their own end and quickly pushed forward. Cole Cristian slipped a pass to McDonald, who calmly touched home his 18th goal of the season with the keeper closing in on him.
 
Less than a minute after McDonald's second goal of the night, Ben Lefever got on the board in the 21st minute. Cole Cristian once again earned the assist with a well-weighted through ball to Lefever. Like McDonald before him, Lefever touched home the feed, sneaking his shot through the keeper's legs for a 4-0 lead.
 
Adding Insurance
That 4-0 lead would hold into the second half, but Messiah would add the first of three second-half insurance goals in the 57th minute. Trevor Swartz sent a pass to Lefever on the right side and after a defender missed on the clearance attempt, Lefever was clear for near post rip for Messiah's fifth goal.
 
In the 65th minute, Josh Bratager turned down a quality look to slip a pass to Stefan Leitzel. With a defender on his back, Leitzel hammered his shot into the upper netting for his sixth goal of the year and a 6-0 Messiah lead.
 
Zackary Venus picked up the seventh and final goal of the night for the Falcons in the 72nd minute with a strong individual effort. Venus collected a feed from the midfield on the right side of the box and took several touches around defenders, pulling the keeper off his line. Eventually, Venus finished the goal from the left side, sneaking his shot between a pair of Lions' defenders.
 
What's Up Next
With the victory, Messiah remains undefeated in the MAC Commonwealth with a 6-0-0 record. The Falcons currently stand at 15-0-1 overall and will be back in action on Tuesday when they take on the Lebanon Valley Dutchmen at 3:30 p.m.