CARLISLE, Pa. – The No. 2 Messiah men's soccer team is clearly a second-half team. For the second-straight game, the Falcons were locked in a scoreless match late in the contest. On Wednesday, the Falcons squared off with Dickinson and through 80 minutes of play the Falcons and Red Devils were tied 0-0. In the 82nd minute, Messiah would strike off a corner kick with Mark Adja skying for his first career goal off a header and a 1-0 Messiah lead.
 
The final seven minutes were a frantic back and forth as Dickinson went on the full offensive. Adam Carter made a handful of key plays in the final minutes as the Falcons held on for the 1-0 victory to improve to 5-0-0 on the season.
 
Quiet Start
Messiah outshot the Red Devils 14-6 in the match, but put just four attempts on frame against half a dozen from Dickinson.
 
It was a quiet opening half between the Falcons and Red Devils. Messiah held a 5-2 advantage in shots, but none could find the back of the net for either side.
 
The second half had a handful of quality chances for both sides, with shots on goal for the Falcons in the 60th and 77th minute and saved from Adam Carter in the 46th, 51st, and 62nd minutes.
 
Breaking Through
Things really heated up in the 82nd minute, when Messiah had one of their best looks of the night. Ben Lefever got loose on the right side, cutting the ball back to the middle of the field and splitting a pair of defenders in the process. Once the ball was on his left foot, he stuck a shot the rattled the center of the crossbar before being cleared away by the Red Devils defense for a Messiah corner kick.
 
While Lefever's strike did not find the back of the net, the Falcons' next shot would. On the ensuing corner, Jarec Morlote delivered a perfect ball to the top of the six for Mark Adja. The Falcons' first year leaped for the header, hammering home the delivery and giving the Falcons a 1-0 lead with just over eight minutes remaining in the match.
 
The Red Devils immediately subbed on two forwards and doubled down on their attacking efforts. The result was a back-and-forth final stretch with both teams having quality chances for an equalizer or insurance. In the end neither happened, with would be Messiah breakaways stopped at the last second and a diving save from Adam Carter just moments after the Falcons' tally keeping things in Messiah's favor.
 
The Falcons would hold on for the 1-0 victory, improving their record to 5-0-0 on the young season while also extending their shutout streak to six-straight matches.
 
What's Up Next
The Falcons will be back in action on Saturday when they travel to Salisbury University to take on the Sea Gulls at 1:00 p.m.