OWINGS MILLS, Md. – For over an hour, it looked like the No. 1 Messiah men's soccer team was about to suffer their first defeat since the end of the 2021 season as they trailed the Stevenson Mustangs 1-0. Then in the span of two minutes late in the match, everything changed.
 
Stevenson took an early 1-0 lead with a high-arching header off a corner kick in the 24th minute. The Mustangs retreated into the box, clinging to the one-goal lead for over an hour. In the 85th minute, Ben Lefever found a moment on the right side, splitting a pair of defenders and ripping a left-footed strike to level the match at 1-1.
 
Just two minutes later, Matt McDonald was on the end of a Patrick Lee service where he headed the delivery toward goal. His initial shot was saved, but as the keeper attempted the reach for the rebound McDonald touched the ball away from the Stevenson keeper and smacked home the eventual game-winning goal.
 
The Falcons earned the unlikely 2-1 victory, improving to 16-0-1 on the season and 6-0-0 in the MAC Commonwealth. Messiah will conclude the regular season on Saturday when they travel to York to take on the Spartans at 6:00 p.m.
 
Stevenson Takes the Lead
The Mustangs were under heavy pressure in the opening minutes of Tuesday night's match, with the Falcons attempting half a dozen shots in the first 17 minutes. Of those six attempts, Matt McDonald put a pair of shots on frame in the seventh and 10th minutes. Both shots were saved and the match stayed scoreless.
 
Stevenson attempted a pair of shots in the 18th and 19th minutes before Sam Phillips and Caleb Aldridge had shots saved for the Falcons.
 
Just past the midpoint of the opening half, the Mustangs found their moment. Against the run of play, Stevenson scored off a corner kick with Gianfranco Vitella finding Patrick Caulden for a high-arching header that snuck under the cross bar for a 1-0 Mustang lead.
 
Looking for the Equalizer
With Stevenson taking the 1-0 lead, Messiah faced just their fourth deficit of the season. The Mustangs were perfectly content to pack in the box and play for a 1-0 victory. Messiah attempted a trio of shots of the remainder of the half with Ben Lefever and Jake Lent-Koop having attempts saved and Stefan Leitzel's shot blocked.
 
The match turned to the second half with the Mustangs looking for their first-ever victory over Messiah and holding a 1-0 lead.
 
Messiah's attack made the Mustangs work to hold the lead throughout the second half, with 11 shots across the first 40 minutes of the half. Five of those opportunities went on goal, but were turned away. Finally in the 85th minute, Ben Lefever collected a pass from Patrick Lee on the right side. Lefever took an aggressive touch toward the middle of the field, splitting a pair of defenders. The touch brought him to the top corner of the box where he ripped a left-footed shot for the equalizer. The tally was his fourth goal of the season.
 
McDonald Scores Game-Winner
With a goal now on the board, Messiah turned their attention to a victory rather than settling for a draw. Two minutes later, the Falcons did just that. In the 87th minute, Patrick Lee found some space on the left side just outside the top of the box. Lee chipped a ball toward the back post for Matt McDonald. Between two defenders, McDonald got a head on the delivery and put it on goal. The initial shot was saved, but as the keeper reached for the loose ball, McDonald was able to get a foot to it and touch it away, eventually hammering home the score from point-blank range. The score gave Messiah a 2-1 lead with just over three minutes remaining.
 
In the closing seconds, Messiah held off a free-kick from around midfield with Adam Carter punching away the delivery to give the Falcons a 2-1 victory.
 
What's Up Next
With the victory, Messiah improves to 16-0-1 on the season and extends their unbeaten streak to 39 matches, dating back to the 2021 season. The Falcons now hold a 6-0-0 record in the MAC Commonwealth and will conclude the 2023 regular season on Saturday against the York Spartans at 6:00 p.m.