READING, Pa. – The No. 2 Messiah men's soccer team bookended a 4-0 conference victory over the Alvernia Golden Wolves with an early goal from Luke Groothoff and back-to-back tallies in the final two minutes from Trevor Swartz and Matt McDonald. Groothoff also scored early in the second half to help get the Falcons to the 4-0 victory.
 
Messiah controlled much of the match, but Alvernia was not without chances. The Golden Wolves attempted six shots in the match, putting four on frame. The Falcons took 21 shots, putting a dozen on goal.
 
With the victory, Messiah improves to 11-0-1 on the season and 2-0-0 in the MAC Commonwealth. The Falcons are scheduled to host the York Spartans at 7:00 p.m. on Shoemaker Field on Tuesday.
 
On Top Early
In Saturday's match it was the Golden Wolves that had the first dangerous opportunity. They carried possession into the box and fired a pair of shots on Jared Pavlovich in the fourth minute. Pavlovich made both saves and kept the match scoreless.
 
Just moments after a scare on the defensive end, Messiah found the back of the net on the other end. In the seventh minute, Ben Lefever went deep into the right corner with the ball before sending a cross into the box. Messiah had a couple of options in the box, looking to find the delivery. Luke Groothoff was unmarked in the middle of the six and headed home the finish toward the right post.
 
The score was Groothoff's third of the season and gave the Falcons an early 1-0 lead.
 
After the score, Messiah attempted 10 more shots in the opening half, putting four more shots on frame. While Messiah was unable to find the insurance goal, they took a 1-0 lead into the half.

Second-Half Action
Messiah nearly doubled the lead early in the second half when Matt McDonald and Jake Lent-Koop both had shots saved in the 50th and 51st minutes. The Falcons did not have to wait too much longer for the insurance as Luke Groothoff connected for his second of the game. Groothoff once again scored on a cross, this time from the foot of Grant Johnson. In the 54th minute, Johnson sent a curling feed from the left-side into the box. Groothoff jumped into the air for the volley and a 2-0 Messiah lead.

Opening Things Up
The Falcons really opened the match up in the final minutes with a pair of goals separated by just 28 seconds. First, Ben Lefever attempted to send a cross into the box from the right side. The Golden Wolves got a foot on his cross and popped it into the air in attempt to clear. Luckily for the Falcons, the clearance went right to Trevor Swartz, who hammered a header into the back of the net for a 3-0 Messiah lead in the 89th minute.
 
Just seconds after the kick off, the Falcons turned the Golden Wolves over in their defensive end, pushing forward quickly. With numbers on their side, Messiah got the ball into the box. Cole Cristian found Ben Lefever at the top of the box and Lefever fed Matt McDonald on the left side. McDonald took a centering touch to the middle of the box and curled a beautiful shot around a defender and the keeper and inside the right post for a 4-0 Messiah lead with just over a minute remaining in the match.
 
That was it for scoring in the match as Messiah earned a 4-0 victory to improve to 11-0-1 on the season and 2-0-0 in the MAC Commonwealth.
 
The Falcons have now scored at least four goals in eight of their 12 matches this season.
 
What's Up Next
The Falcons are scheduled to host the York Spartans on Tuesday night on Shoemaker field at 7:00 p.m. in a conference match.