Men's Soccer MAC Primary Photo

Men's Soccer Enters MAC Commonwealth Tournament as Top Seed

10/30/2023 2:20:00 PM

GRANTHAM, Pa. - The top-seeded Messiah men's soccer team is scheduled to open the MAC Commonwealth Tournament on Wednesday night with a semifinal match against the fourth-seeded Stevenson Mustangs. The Falcons will host the semifinal game against Stevenson on Wednesday, Nov. 1 at 6:00 p.m. on Shoemaker Field. 

Second-seeded Alvernia will host the Widener Pride in the other semifinal match on Wednesday night with the winner's meeting in the MAC Commonwealth Championship on Saturday, hosted by the highest seed. 

Messiah has claimed a total of 20 Conference Championships in program history, with 17 coming since 2000. Last season, Messiah defeated Widener 5-0 to claim their fourth-straight MAC Commonwealth crown. The Falcons have won 17 of the last 22 conference championships contests, advancing to the final on 20 occasions.

Fans should note that since this is a Middle Atlantic Conference Postseason Tournament, tickets are required for all fans. The pricing for tickets are as follows: Adults: $5, Senior Citizens: $4, Students (Valid ID) and Children" $2, and Children under 6: FREE. Thanks to a generous donor, the first 100 Messiah students at all MAC Commonwealth Tournament games this week will get in free.

No. 1 Messiah Falcons

16-0-1 Overall, 7-0-0 MAC Commonwealth
Team Homepage  |  Schedule  |  Roster  |  Stats

msoc team huddle

The top-ranked Falcons finished the 2023 season without a loss going 16-0-1 and 7-0-0 in MAC Commonwealth play. The Falcons opened the season with five straight shutouts before suffering their only blemish on the season in a 1-1 draw at Salisbury University. The Falcons then have won 12 straight games to end the season to earn the top seed in the MAC Commonwealth Tournament. Messiah has a 9-0 record at Shoemaker Field on the season. 

The Falcons look for their fifth straight MAC Commonwealth Championship. The Falcons have also appeared in the last eight MAC Commonwealth Championships with a 6-2 record. Messiah defeated Widener 5-0 in the MAC Commonwealth Championship last season. 


 Players to Watch

  • #21 Matt McDonald - 11 goals, 3 assists, 62 shots, 7 GWG
  • #15 Sam Phillips - 10 goals, 1 assist, 29 shots, 4 GWG
  • #11 Ben Lefever - 4 goals, 6 assists, 38 shots, 1 GWG
  • #24 Josh Bratager - 5 goals, 1 assist, 26 shots, 1 GWG
  • #12 Ben Vollmer - 18 GP, 18 starts, 1 assist
  • #0 Adam Carter - 0.30 GAA, 23 saves, .821 sv. pct., 10 SO

No. 4 Stevenson Mustangs

4-5-9 Overall, 3-3-1 MAC Commonwealth
Team Homepage  |  Schedule  |  Roster  |  Stats

The Mustangs finished the 2023 season with a 4-5-9 overall record and a 3-3-1 record in MAC Commonwealth play. The Mustangs finished the season strong with a 3-1-1 record in the final five games to earn the fourth seed in the MAC Commonwealth Tournament. The Mustangs impressive turnaround started after suffering a seven game losing streak in the middle of the season. 

Players to Watch

  • #9 Gianfranco Vitella - 4 goals, 1 assist, 19 shots
  • #26 Brian Rogowski - 2 goals, 1 assist, 26 shots
  • #32 Landon Easton - 2 goals, 20 shots, 1 GWG
  • #1 Nolen Olsen-Warwick - 1.48 GAA, 101 saves, .815 sv. pct., 4 SO

When They Met

The Falcons and Mustangs met on Tuesday, Oct. 24 at Stevenson. Messiah earned a 2-1 win after a couple of late goals. The Mustangs took a lead in the 23rd minute on a goal from Patrick Caulden. The Falcons offense could not find the back of the net for most of the game until the 85th minute. Ben Lefever scored an impressive goal from Patrick Lee to tie the game. Just two minutes later, Matt McDonald scored the game-winner after poking the ball from the Mustang goalkeeper. 

No. 2 Alvernia Golden Wolves

10-6-1 Overall, 6-1-0 MAC Commonwealth
Team Homepage  |  Schedule  |  Roster  |  Stats

Alvernia PIC

The Golden Wolves had an impressive season finishing 10-6-1 with a 6-1 record in MAC Commonwealth play. The Golden Wolves played a tough schedule with five ranked teams with an 0-5 record in those games. The Golden Wolves did not struggle in road games with a 5-3 record on the season. Alvernia loos to avenge its 1-0 loss to Widener last season in the MAC Semifinal game. Alvernia defeated Widener 2-0 on Oct. 28 in the regular season finale. 

Players to Watch

  • #9 Ryan Cogill - 8 goals, 5 assists, 48 shots, 2 GWG
  • #10 Gabe Wunderlich - 7 goals, 3 assists, 32 shots, 5 GWG
  • #15 Justin Fetrow - 5 goals, 19 shots, 1 GWG
  • #7 Connor Kraycik - 4 goals, 2 assists, 34 shots, 1 GWG
  • #1 Evan Solley - 1.38 GAA, 90 saves, .796 sv. pct., 6 SO

When They Met

The Falcons and Golden Wolves met at Shoemaker Field on Saturday, Oct. 21. The two teams played a tightly contested game with the Falcons pulling out a 1-0 win. The lone goal from the Falcons came from a chip over the Alvernia goalkeeper from Matt McDonald to give the Falcons an early lead. The Falcons offense had plenty of great looks on the Golden Wolves goal, but a couple impressive saves kept the Falcons with only one goal on the night. 

No. 3 Widener Pride

12-3-2 Overall, 3-2-2 MAC Commonwealth
Team Homepage  |  Schedule  |  Roster  |  Stats

Widener PIC

The Pride had an impressive season with a 12-3-2 record with a 3-2-2 record in MAC Commonwealth play. Widener opened the season 9-0 before falling to Stockton and Messiah in back-to-back games. The Pride had an excellent season at home going 9-0, but struggled on the road, with a 3-3-2 record. Widener looks to avenge their season finale, 2-0 loss to Alvernia on Oct, 28 and look to make it back to the MAC Commonwealth Championship for the second straight season.

Players to Watch

  • #2 Sean Fatiga - 16 goals, 3 assists, 54 shots, 4 GWG
  • #28 Jordi Lopez - 3 goals, 6 assists, 17 shots, 1 GWG
  • #10 Christian Doyle - 5 goals, 1 assist, 11 shots, 3 GWG
  • #16 Michael Donaghy - 3 goals, 4 assists, 20 shots, 1 GWG
  • #0 Ryan Van Pelt - 0.93 GAA, 42 saves, .764 sv. pct., 4 SO

When They Met

The Falcons and the Pride met on Saturday, Oct. 7 at Shoemaker Field. The Falcons used two first-half goals to defeat the Pride, 2-0. Sam Phillips tallied the first Falcons goal in the fourth minute and Matt McDonald added another in the 19th minute. The Falcons defense did the rest, not allowing a single Widener shot on goal during the match. 

Related Videos

Now Playing: