GRANTHAM, PA. – The Messiah men's lacrosse team is set to begin the MAC Commonwealth Playoffs tomorrow afternoon against the Widener Pride. Messiah finished with an 8-9 overall record and a 4-4 conference record to earn the fifth seed and a berth in the Play-In game on Tuesday May 3. That game will take place at 7:00 PM in Chester, Pa.
Read below for a preview of the playoff matchup.
No. 5 Messiah Falcons – 8-9 overall, 4-4 conference
Schedule Roster Stats
Messiah finished their regular season campaign with an 8-9 record going 4-4 in the conference in the first year under new head coach
Dan Carson. Messiah started off the year with two losses but won the next two for an even start to the year at 2-2. Messiah would continue to hang around the .500 mark all season winning two of the last three games for their 8-9 overall record.
Owen Joyce led the Falcons in goals on the year with 36, with
RJ Mellor next with 30 goals. Joyce and Mellor also lead the team in assists with 32 and 16 respectively, giving the Falcons a strong offensive effort.
Over the year, Messiah has scored 182 goals as a team on 604 shots. They have accumulated 569 ground balls and have caused 157 turnovers as well.
No. 4 Widener University Pride – 7-8 overall, 5-3 conference
Schedule Roster Stats
Widener finished the season with a 7-8 overall record and a 5-3 conference mark. After dropping five of the first six games, the Pride won five of their last seven to make the MAC Commonwealth Play-In game as the four seed.
Connor Heisman led the Pride with 43 goals on the year, 22 ahead of the next closest Pride teammate, Bryant Maits with 21.
Over the year, Widener scored 191 goals on 678 shots. They have earned 430 ground balls and caused 156 turnovers.
Previous Matchup
In the previous matchup on April 9 between these teams, Widener won 16-8 on the back of Connor Heisman's eight goal performance. Shaw, Branson and Mellor each had two goals on the afternoon for Messiah.
History
The Falcons are trying to advance to the conference championship for the first time since 2016. The last time the Falcons won a conference championship was 15 years ago in 2004. In their last tournament appearance, Messiah lost to Lycoming 12-15 in the MAC Commonwealth semifinals back in 2019.
Game Time
Messiah will travel to Widener for the Play-in Game on May 3, at 7:00 PM in Chester, Pa. With a win, Messiah would earn a game with the No. 1 seeded York College Spartans on Thursday, May 5 at 5:00 PM.
