GRANTHAM, Pa. – The top-seeded Messiah men's soccer team wasted little time getting on the board in the MAC Commonwealth Semifinal on Thursday evening against the York Spartans. Ben Lefever split two defenders and scored near post in just the third minute of the match to put the Falcons in the driver's seat. The Falcons never looked back, cruising to a 6-1 victory over the Spartans, advancing to the MAC Commonwealth Championship Match on Saturday against the Widener Pride.
 
Messiah will play the Widener Pride on Saturday evening at 5:00 p.m. on Shoemaker Field with the MAC Commonwealth Championship on the line. The Pride earned a 1-0 victory over the Alvernia Golden Wolves in the other semifinal on Thursday night, scoring the lone goal in the 86th minute.
 
Matt McDonald led the effort for the Falcons on Thursday with two goals on the evening. Trevor Swartz, Cole Cristian, and Josh Bratager also found the back of the net in the match.
 
How It Happened
As mentioned, Ben Lefever got the Falcons on the board right away on Thursday night, scoring in just the second minute on a beautiful individual effort. Lefever held possession on the left side and slit two defenders to get into the box. Once there, he went to the near post and squeezed a shot between the keeper and the post for a 1-0 Messiah lead.
 
Trevor Swartz doubled Messiah's lead in the 20th minute with his third goal of the season. Matt McDonald took a rip from the top of the box that required a diving save to the keeper's right. The Spartans' keeper was unable to secure the rebound and Trevor Swartz was the man on the spot, hammering home the finish from point blank range for a 2-0 lead.
 
Six minutes later, Matt McDonald converted from nearly the same spot. As the Falcons sent a ball into the box on the left side, York took possession, but a poor touch gave McDonald a look from close in. As he has done all season long, McDonald finished the chance for his 20th goal of the season. With the tally, McDonald recorded just the 14th season of 20-plus goals in Messiah men's soccer history.
 
He would up that total just over a minute into the second half with his second goal of the match off a feed from Ben Lefever. That score would make it a 4-1 game after York's Jack Mitzfelt connected in the 31st minute for the visitors. Mitzfelt's score was the lone tally on the evening for the Spartans, but York did attempt six shots, sending three on frame in the match.
 
As mentioned, McDonald's second score gave Messiah a 4-1 lead. They would add two more off volleys in the 48th and 56th minutes. First it was Cole Cristian finishing off a feed from Ben Lefever for his sixth goal of the season. Then in the 56th minute, Josh Bratager capped off the scoring with his fifth of the season thanks to a cross from Grant Johnson.
 
What's Up Next
Messiah advances to the MAC Commonwealth Championship for the 25th time in program history. The Falcons will host the second-seeded Widener Pride on Saturday night at 5:00 p.m., just a week after the two teams met in the regular season finale. Messiah won that previous match 3-2. Widener will be making their first MAC Commonwealth Championship Game appearance since 2008.