GRANTHAM, Pa. – The No. 5 Messiah men's soccer team overwhelmed the visiting Moravian Greyhounds on Saturday night to the tune of a 6-0 victory on Shoemaker Field. Matt McDonald led four goal scorers with a goal in each half while Stefan Leitzel, Luke Brautigam, Zackary Venus, and Patrick Lee all connected once in the match. The Falcons netted two goals before the half with Matt McDonald and Stefan Leitzel finding moments of quality. After the break, McDonald connected again along with Brautigam, Venus, and Lee to give the Falcons some insurance.
 
In the match, Messiah outshot the Greyhounds 34-1. Messiah controlled possession throughout the match, creating dangerous chances often, particularly in the second half.
 
For the second-straight match, Messiah allowed only one shot.
 
With the victory, Messiah improves to 3-0-1 on the season and will be back in action on Wednesday when they host the Dickinson Red Devils on Shoemaker Field at 7:30 p.m. in the second game of a soccer doubleheader.
 
Early Nose for Goal
We are four games into a young season and so far, Matt McDonald has netted at least one goal in all four contestes. On Saturday night, McDonald scored twice with the game-winning tally in the 14th minute and an insurance goal after the break in the 50th minute. McDonald started his night by taking advantage of a Moravian turnover in their defensive end and going right to goal. McDonald ripped a right-footed shot from just outside the box for the 1-0 Messiah lead.
 
McDonald was at it again in the 50th minute. This time, the Falcons held a 2-0 lead that to a Stefan Leitzel free kick tally in the 32nd minute. With the ball loose in the box, McDonald smacked a shot at the keeper, it was initially saved, but ricocheted off a defender's head and into the back of the net for his sixth goal of the season.
 
Free Kick Tally
As mentioned, Stefan Letizel made it a 2-0 Messiah lead midway through the first half. Thanks to a rip on a free kick from just outside the box. The Greyhounds were whistled for a hand ball 19 yards from goal. Leitzel stepped up to the free kick and curled it around the wall and into the back of the net for his second-straight game with a goal.
 
Running Away in the Second Half
After the break, Messiah put the pedal to the metal, scoring four goals in the final 45 minutes. Less than two minutes after McDonald's second tally of the night, Ben Lefever slipped a low cross to Luke Brautigam on the goal mouth for the sliding score and a 4-0 Messiah lead.
 
In the 66th minute, Zackary Venus carried possession down the right side and into the box. His defender slipped on the play, leaving Venus one-on-one with the keeper. Venus went to the near post, beating the keeper for a 5-0 lead.
 
Six minutes later, Josh Bratager fed Patrick Lee from the midfield just above the box. Lee took one controlling touch and skipped a shot past the keeper for the eventually winning score of 6-0.
 
What's Up Next
With the victory, Messiah improves to 3-0-1 and will be back in action on Wednesday when they host the Dickinson Red Devils at 7:30 p.m. for a non-conference match on Shoemaker Field