GRANTHAM, Pa. – The top-seeded Messiah men's soccer team is scheduled to open the MAC Commonwealth Tournament on Thursday night with the semifinal round being played on Shoemaker Field against fourth-seeded York at 6:00 p.m. The York Spartans are fresh off a 2-1 victory in the MAC Commonwealth Play-In Game on Monday night over Stevenson.
Second-seeded Widener and third-seeded Alvernia will square off in the other semifinal match on Thursday night with the winner's meeting in the MAC Commonwealth Championship on Saturday, hosted by the highest seed.
Messiah has claimed a total of 19 conference championships in program history, with 16 coming since 2000. The Falcons have advanced to the Conference Championship Game in 19 of the last 21 Conference Championships contested, dating back to the 2000 season.
Fans should note that since this is a Middle Atlantic Conference Postseason Tournament, tickets are required for all fans. The pricing for tickets are as follows: Adults: $6, Senior Citizens - $4, Students (valid ID) and Children - $2, Children under 6 – FREE.
See below for a quick preview of the MAC Commonwealth Tournament field:
No. 1 Messiah Falcons – 17-0-1 overall, 8-0-0 conference
For the first time this season, the Messiah Falcons were ranked No. 1 in the United Soccer Coaches National Rankings this week. Messiah is currently riding a 16-matching winning streak and is the highest scoring offense in the country this season. The Falcons have scored at least three goals in 15 of their 18 matches, including six instances of five goals or more. On the season, Messiah has netted 76 goals (4.22 goals per game) while conceding just 11 (0.61) for a goal differential of 65, best in Division III. In the conference, Messiah went a perfect 8-0-0, outscoring opponents 38-4.
Players to Watch
#21
Matt McDonald – 19 goals, 4 assists, 42 points, 4 game-winning goals, 75 shots
#11
Ben Lefever – 8 goals, 8 assists, 24 points, 3 game-winning goals, 43 shots
#5
Luke Groothoff – 5 goals, 3 assists, 13 points, 30 shots
No. 4 York Spartans – 10-5-3 overall, 4-3-1 conference
The Spartans earned their spot in the MAC Commonwealth Semifinals with a 2-1 victory over the Stevenson Mustangs on Tuesday evening in the Play-In Game. The Spartans opened the season with a 5-0-2 record in their first seven games, but closed out the regular season 4-5-1 to claim the fourth seed. York knows how to find the back of the net with 14 different players netting tallies this season and finding the back of the net in all but three of the matches on the year.
Players to Watch
#9 Jake Mitzelfelt – 9 goals, 3 assists, 21 points, 3 game-winning goals, 29 shots
#13 Luke Nall – 7 goals, 5 assists, 19 points, 3 game-winning goals, 29 shots
#99 Brady Bixler – 8-5-3 record, 1.20 GAA, .771 save %, 1420 minutes played
When They Met
The Falcons and Spartans met on Oct. 11 on Shoemaker Field with the Falcons picking up a 4-0 shutout victory. Messiah had four different goal scorers with
Josh Bratager,
Matt McDonald,
Patrick Lee, and
Stefan Leitzel all finding the back of the net. Messiah was held scoreless through the first 40 minutes, but tallied three times in the second half to earn the victory. Messiah outshot the Spartans 20-6 in the match.
No. 2 Widener Pride – 10-5-2 overall, 6-1-1 conference
The Widener Pride put together one of their best seasons in recent years, winning 10 regular season matches and clinching the second seed in the MAC Commonwealth Tournament. After starting the season 0-3-0, the Pride got hot winning six of their next seven to finish up September and start October. After back-to-back draws against Lebanon Valley and Arcadia, Widener won four-straight to set up a match with Messiah on the final day of the regular season to determine the top seed in the Conference tournament. Messiah earned a 3-2 victory, but the Pride showed they can certainly hang with anyone.
Players to Watch
#2 Sea Fatiga – 13 goals, 2 assists, 28 points, 5 game-winning goals, 69 shots
#4 Andrew Hurrell – 4 goals, 4 assists, 12 points, 18 shots
#0 Ryan Van Pelt – 8-5-0 record, 1.30 GAA, .733 save %, 44 saves, 1110 minutes played
When They Met
In the regular season finale, Messiah earned a 3-2 victory over the Widener Pride in Chester, Pa. The Pride were on the board first, scoring in the 12th minute by Sean Fatiga. Messiah responded with three-straight tallies in the 27th, 56th, and 66th minutes with
Luke Brautigam,
Matt McDonald, and
Stefan Leitzel finding the back of the net. Widener scored a free-kick goal in the 88th minute, but the Falcons held on. Messiah outshot the Pride 22-7 in the match, putting 11 shots on frame.
No. 3 Alvernia Golden Wolves – 11-3-5 overall, 4-2-2 conference
A number of early season draws had the Alvernia Golden Wolves sitting at 2-1-3 after six matches. From there the Golden Wolves rattled off five straight wins to spur a stretch of 9-2-2 play to finish the season. During that stretch, the Golden Wolves only two losses came against the two teams seeded higher, Messiah (4-0) and Widener (3-1). As a team, Alvernia is middle of the pack in the conference in scoring offense averaging 1.63 goals per match while allowing 1.11.
Players to Watch
#9 Ryan Cogill – 8 goals, 2 assists, 18 points, 4 game-winning goals, 57 shots
#7 Connor Kraycik – 6 goals, 1 assist, 13 points, 2 game-winning goals, 34 shots
#1 Evan Solley – 10-3-5 record, 1.17 GAA, .800 save %, 84 saves, 1615 minutes played
When They Met
The Falcons earned a 4-0 victory over the Alvernia Golden Wolves on the road on Oct. 8.
Luke Groothoff netted the first two scores before
Trevor Swartz and
Matt McDonald both scored in the 89th minute to add a little insurance for the Falcons. Messiah outshot the Golden Wolves 21-6 in the match, putting 12 attempts on frame.
Jared Pavlovich made four saves, his second most in a match this season
