ANNVILLE, Pa. – The Lebanon Valley Dutchmen nearly snapped a streak of 14 consecutive victories for the No. 2 Messiah men's soccer team on Tuesday afternoon. The Falcons and Dutchmen stood level at 1-1 with just five minutes remaining, but Ben Vollmer found the head of Stefan Leitzel in the 85th minute for a 2-1 Messiah victory.
 
With Lebanon Valley needing a result to remain in the hunt for a MAC Commonwealth Tournament spot, the Dutchmen seemed content to park the bus and keep the match scoreless as long as possible. After doing just that for the first 45 minutes, Messiah got on the board first in the 56th minute with a Jake Lent-Koop header off a corner.
 
Lebanon Valley changed their strategy and got even in the 69th minute when Aaron Weitzel collected his own rebound and found the back of the net, tying the match 1-1.
 
After the match leveled, Lebanon Valley settled back into their defensive end. It took nearly 20 minutes, but Messiah was once again able to break the pressure with the Stefan Leitzel knocking through the game-winning header off a service from Ben Vollmer.
 
With the victory, Messiah improves to 16-0-1 on the season and remains undefeated in the MAC Commonwealth with a 7-0-0 record. The Falcons will be back in action on Saturday when they travel to Widener to take on the Pride at 4:00 p.m. with top seed in the Conference Tournament on the line. Widener is currently 5-0-1 in the conference this season.
 
Lebanon Valley Parks the Bus
For the first 45 minutes of Tuesday's match it looked as if the match would end in a scoreless draw. The Dutchmen were content to sit deep in their defensive end and wait for the Falcons to attempt to break their five-man defensive unit.
 
Messiah was able to attempt just eight shots in the opening half, putting four on frame. The Falcons fired two on frame in the opening minutes with Luke Groothoff and Cole Cristian having attempts saved in the second and fourth minutes. Ben Lefever had a look saved in the 22nd minute, but the Falcons' best look of the first half may have come in the final seconds of the period.
 
Off a service from the right side, Stefan Leitzel had a header saved by a dive from Dalton Fitterling in the 45th minute. That saved kept things scoreless as the match turned to the half.
 
Lebanon Valley did not attempt a shot in the first 45 minutes.
 
Breaking Through
Messiah adjusted their approach to start the second half and began lobbing balls into the box, looking to go over the Dutchmen defense. The Falcons attempted four shots in the first seven minutes of the period before breaking through with a corner kick goal from Jake Lent-Koop. In the 56th minute, Grant Johnson bent a ball toward the back post for Lent-Koop. His soaring header found the net for a 1-0 lead.
 
Dutchmen Counter
With the Dutchmen now trailing and needing at least a draw to remain in the hunt for a Playoff spot, Lebanon Valley changed their strategy and began pushing forward looking for a goal. In the 69th minute, Aaron Weitzel had some space on the left side of the box. While his initial attempt was saved, Weitzel was able to collect the rebound in the middle of the box and hammer home the equalizer with just over 20 minutes left to play.
 
Leitzel Nets Game-Winner
Following the equalizer, Lebanon Valley retreated into their defensive shell. Messiah attempted to break through the low block with shots that were blocked by defenders or missed off target. In the 85th minute, Messiah earned a corner kick. The Falcons served the attempt into the box, but the Dutchmen cleared it away. Ben Vollmer collected possession and put a secondary delivery into the box. His feed found the head of Stefan Leitzel in the middle of the box and he redirected the service past the keeper for a 2-1 Messiah lead.
 
In a frantic final five minutes, Lebanon Valley was able to attempt a shot in the 89th minute, but it missed wide. Despite the Dutchmen pushing hard for a late equalizer, Messiah was able to hold off the pressure and earn a 2-1 victory.
 
What's Up Next
Messiah will wrap up the regular season on Saturday when they travel to Chester, Pa. to take on the Widener Pride at 4:00 p.m. The top seed in the upcoming MAC Commonwealth Tournament will be on the line as the Pride are 5-0-1 in the conference this season. Widener takes on Alvernia tonight at 7:00 p.m. in their second to last MAC Commonwealth match of the season.