ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. – The annual rivalry game between Messiah and Elizabethtown men's soccer featured a pair of quality finishes from the Falcons and an Elizabethtown own goal to give the second-ranked Falcons a 3-0 victory in enemy territory. Messiah dominated the territory battle on the evening, controlling possession for nearly the entirety of the contest and hold a 16-3 advantage in shots on the night.
 
Messiah started their night with Ben Lefever finishing off a fantastic volley off of a corner kick in the 13th minute and Davis Pagett connecting with his left foot for his first career goal in the 32nd minute.
 
The Falcons were the on the right side of a Blue Jays' own goal early in the second half as they earned a 3-0 victory.
 
With the win, Messiah improves to 37-18-3 all-time against the Blue Jays.
 
This season the Falcons improve to 6-0-1 and will be back in action when they host the New York University Violets on Saturday afternoon at 2:00 p.m. on Shoemaker Field.
 
Pair of First-Half Tallies
The Falcons were on the attack early against the Elizabethtown Blue Jays with shots by Trevor Swartz and Ben Lefever in the first 10 minutes and a goal called back for offsides in the fifth minute. The Falcons would be first on the board in the 13th minute on the play following a corner kick. The Falcons sent a corner from the left side into the box, but the Blue Jays were first to it and attempted to clear possession. Messiah was able to send it back into the mixer with Luke Groothoff getting a head on it and sending it to Ben Lefever for a volley. Lefever's athleticism allowed him to turn for a right-footed strike off the high bounce, sending the shot arcing over the keeper and into the back of the net for a 1-0 Messiah lead in the 13th minute.
 
In the 32nd minute, the Falcons added to their lead. Cole Cristian carried possession into the box from the left sideline, weaving his way through traffic before shuffling a pass to Davis Pagett in the center of the box. Pagett took a controlling touch to his left and split a pair of defenders with a left-footed strike the snuck inside the left post and past the keeper for a 2-0 Messiah advantage. The tally was the first of Pagett's career.
 
Own Goal Insurance
Messiah's lead remained 2-0 through halftime, but it would bump to three goals in the 52nd minute. The Falcons pressured Elizabethtown in the box, forcing a Blue Jay defender to attempt a pass back to the keeper. With the keeper flat footed and a little too much pace on the pass, the ball found the back of the net and Messiah went up 3-0.
 
That was the final tally of the night, though it looked like Messiah would add the cherry on top of the victory in the closing seconds, netting a goal as time expired, but it did not count and the Falcons earned a 3-0 victory.
 
What's Up Next
Messiah's next test will come on Saturday afternoon when they host the New York University Violets on Shoemaker Field at 2:00 p.m.