GRANTHAM, Pa. – The Messiah men's soccer team claimed their 21st Conference Championship in program history with a 3-0 victory over the Widener Pride on Saturday afternoon. The Falcons netted one goal in the opening half with Matt McDonald finding the back of the net before adding a pair of insurance goals in the second period. Sam Phillips and Stefan Leitzel netted the insurance tallies for the Falcons in the 62nd and 65th minutes.
 
On multiple occasions, it appeared the Falcons had found the back of the net, but the offsides flag was raised and negated the scores. As a result, Phillips' goal in the 62nd minute eased some building tension and gave Messiah a multi-goal lead.
 
With the victory, Messiah secures a spot in the NCAA Tournament that begins next weekend. The Falcons will find out where they are heading on Monday afternoon at 2:00 p.m. with a Selection Show on ncaa.com.  
 
McDonald Cleans Up, Gives Messiah the Lead
The Falcons controlled much of the early portion of the match, but only had three shots to show for it after 20 minutes of play. The first was by Cole Cristian in the second minute off a corner. Cristian attempted to drag his foot and nick the ball inside the back post, but he attempt was saved. In the 19th Ben Lefever had a shot saved for another opportunity early for the Falcons.
 
Messiah would get on the board in the 23rd minute when they played a corner short on the left side. Jarec Morlote sent a delivery toward the back post for Jake Lent-Koop, where the fifth-year defender headed a shot on frame. The Widener keeper had to leap, just barley getting a hand on the shot and hitting it off the crossbar. The rebound popped straight into the air and landed on the goal line where Matt McDonald stood for the tap in goal.
 
The Falcons looked to had doubled the lead in the 30th minute when Stefan Leitzel headed a ball to Jake Lent-Koop for a tally, but Lent-Koop was whistled offside, starting what would be a trend on the afternoon. In total, the Falcons were called offsides on nine occasions with three of those raised flags pulling goals off the board.
 
Later in the half, the Falcons looked to have earned a penalty kick when a delivery from Sam Phillips was cleared into the arm of a defender. The referee however said play on and the match headed to the half with Messiah holding a 1-0 lead.
 
Interesting Second-Half Moments
In the second half the wild moments continued. Josh Bratager put a ball in the back of the net in the 49th minute, but he was ruled offside. Then in the 54th minute, Ben Lefever worked his way into the box on the right side and took a shot that went right into the hand of a defender before it was cleared away without a call.
 
Six minutes later, the Falcons put in another goal with Stefan Leitzel heading in a deliver on the left post. Once again, the Falcons were called offside and the match plodded along with Messiah holding the slim 1-0 lead.

Goals That Count
Finally, in the 62nd minute Sam Phillips put a ball in the back of the net that would stand. After Adam Carter plucked a Widener free kick out of the air, he threw the ball all the way to the midfield stripe where Patrick Lee beat the Pride defender to the ball, pushing forward in front of the Messiah bench in the process. Lee carried all the way down into the right corner before sending a cross into the middle of a well-defended box. With four defenders around him, Phillips was able to collected possession, turn, and hit a right-footed strike into the back of the net for a 2-0 lead.
 
Stefan Leitzel added a third and final goal in the 65th minute after Phillips was looking for his second goal of the match. Phillips' shot knocked off the left post and Leitzel was there for the follow up, putting Messiah up 3-0.
 
The Falcons allowed Widener their first shot of the match in the 70th minute. The Pride would attempt four shots in the final 20 minutes, with only one requiring a save from Adam Carter. In the 78th minute, Carter made a low save diving to his right to keep the clean sheet. Drew Steif logged the final 10 minutes as Messiah earned the 3-0 shutout.
 
For his play in the Tournament, Messiah's Jake Lent-Koop was named the Tournament's Most Valuable Player.
 
What's Up Next
With the victory, Messiah improves to 19-0-1 on the season and earns a spot in the NCAA Tournament for the 33rd time in program history. The Falcons will learn of their First Round opponent on Monday afternoon at 2:00 p.m. via an NCAA Selection Show that will air on ncaa.com.