WASHINGTON, D.C. – For the second-straight day the No. 12 Messiah men's soccer team scored four second-half goals to earn back-to-back 4-0 victories to begin the season. On Saturday, the Falcons took down the Catholic Cardinals by the 4-0 score with Matt McDonald, Sam Phillips, Cole Cristian, and Chad Vrolijk netting the second-half tallies.
 
In the game, the Falcons outshot the Cardinals 20-11, putting 11 attempts on frame against just two from Catholic. Messiah also earned five corner kicks while Catholic picked up three.
 
For McDonald, Cristian, and Vrolijk their goals on Saturday were their first of the season while Sam Phillips scored his second goal of the season and the second of his career in the 74th minute.
 
Messiah improves to 2-0-0 on the season and will be back in action on Friday night when they host SUNY Brockport at 7:00 p.m. on Shoemaker Field in the home opener.
 
Scoreless Start
For the second-straight afternoon, the Messiah men's soccer team was held in check by a defense, playing the opening half of a game without scoring a goal. On Saturday, it was the Catholic Cardinals that kept the Falcons at bay. Messiah held a slim advantage in shots in the opening half at 6-4, but both teams put just one attempt on frame.
 
Messiah's lone shot on goal in the first 45 minutes came in the 24th minute by Matt McDonald.
 
While the Falcons offense was unable to find the back of the net, Messiah's defense held strong and the game turned the second half, locked in a scoreless battle.
 
Fast Second-Half Start
Coming out of the half, Messiah wasted no time getting on the board with Matt McDonald scoring his first goal of the 2023 campaign. Patrick Lee found McDonald to get Messiah on the board just 35 seconds into the second half.
 
The 1-0 lead held all the way into the 74th minute when Sam Phillips scored his second goal in as many games off an assist from Jordan Gilman. The goals kept coming for the Falcons with Cole Cristian finding the back of the net with an unassisted tally in the 81st minute. Chad Vrolijk capped off the scoring in the 90th minute, converting a feed from Grant Johnson to give the Falcons a 4-0 victory.
 
It was the second-straight game that saw the Falcons held scoreless in the opening half before exploding for four tallies in the second-half en route to a 4-0 victory.
 
What's Up Next
The Falcons will be back in action on Friday night at 7:00 p.m. on Shoemaker Field when they host SUNY Brockport in their 2023 home opener. Messiah