GRANTHAM, Pa. – The No. 1 Messiah men's soccer team scored first-half goals to claim a 2-0 homecoming victory over the No. 12 Widener Pride on Saturday afternoon.
Sam Phillips and
Matt McDonald netted the goals for the Falcons in the fourth and 19th minutes respectively as the Falcons moved to 11-0-1. Messiah won the territory battle on the afternoon, holding an 11-4 advantage in shots.
The Falcons threatened in the second half, but the 2-0 margin held as Messiah claimed a Homecoming win.
The Falcons will be back in action on Wednesday night when they host the Lancaster Bible College Chargers at 7:00 p.m. in a non-conference match.
How It Happened
With the wind at their back, the Falcons wasted little time scoring their first goal of the afternoon, netting the opening tally in just the fourth minute of play. Off a goal kick, the Widener keeper was unable to get the ball through the breeze and all the way to the midfield stripe.
Matt McDonald met the kick in the air and sent a header ahead to
Sam Phillips. After a pair of touches, Phillips was past his defender on the left side and heading toward the box. His run brought the keeper off his line and allowed Phillips to slot a shot into the back of the net for his eighth goal of the season.
Phillips' goal came on Messiah's first shot of the match and gave the Falcons a 1-0 lead.
After his help on the first goal,
Matt McDonald got one of his own just a few minutes later. In the 19th minute,
Ben Lefever pushed possession down into the right corner after the Pride had a chance on the other end. Lefever cut into the box on the right side and sent a low cross to McDonald in the middle of the box. McDonald one-timed the feed into the back of an open net, pushing the lead to 2-0 in the process.
The Falcons had two more attempts saved in the 28th and 30th minutes with two shots from
Grant Johnson turned away as the match headed to the half with Messiah leading 2-0.
After the break, Messiah held a 4-3 advantage in shots, requiring two saves, but the lead would remain 2-0 as the final horn sounded.
What's Up Next
With the victory, Messiah improves to 11-0-1 on the season and 2-0-0 in the conference. The Falcons will be back in action on Wednesday night when they host the Lancaster Bible Chargers at 7:00 p.m. on Shoemaker Field in their final non-conference match of the regular season.
