GRANTHAM, Pa. – In the most anticipated match-up of the Division III men's soccer weekend, the No. 1 University of Mary Washington Eagles traveled to Grantham to take on the No. 3 Messiah men's soccer team. With rain in the forecast, the battle for national prominence was pushed up to an 11:00 a.m. start. Despite the schedule adjustment, the rain came in buckets throughout the entirety of the match, especially in the second half.
 
The Falcons and Eagles battled through the driving rain with the Falcons emerging victorious by a 1-0 final score. After a scoreless opening half, Ben Lefever got loose on a counterattack and hammered home a game-winning goal in the 61st minute off a deflection from a defender. The final half hour as a wild, back-and-forth affair with players slipping on the worsening pitch and chances for both the Falcons and Eagles going by the wayside.
 
In total, Messiah earned the 1-0 victory by holding a 14-6 advantage in shots.
 
With the victory, Messiah improves to 7-0-1 on the season and will be back in action on Wednesday when they host the Lycoming Warriors at 7:00 p.m. on Shoemaker Field.
 
How It Happened
Both teams had quality opportunities in the opening half with the Falcons have some of the more dangerous chances as the match got underway. In the 30th minute, Sam Phillips took control on the left wing and got around his defender, getting in on the keeper. Phillips ripped a hard shot towards the far post, but Fred Rogers quickly extended an arm, making the impressive save to keep the match scoreless.
 
Two minutes later, Messiah nearly found the back of the net again. In the 32nd minute, Grant Johnson wound up from distance with a shot looking for the right-side of the goal mouth. The chance was once again turned away by a diving Rogers, that got just enough of the shot to steer it off the right post.
 
In the first 45 minutes, Messiah's Adam Carter was forced to make one save while Rogers logged four to keep the match scoreless heading to the second half.
 
After the break, the rain picked up in intensity as did the desire for a goal. Carter made a save on a pointblank chance in the 56th minute, allowing the Falcons to find their moment just five minutes later in the 61st minute. On a bit of a counterattack, Ben Lefever got loose down the right side, getting around his defender and in on the center back. After getting into the box, Lefever let go a right-footed strike that ricocheted off the center back and into the back of the net for a 1-0 Messiah lead.
 
The final 30 minutes was end-to-end with both sides having looks at goal. Messiah's best chance at an insurance tally came in the 67th minute when Luke Foster was on the end of a cross from the left. It bounced in the box and allowed Foster to hit a half volley with pace toward goal. The Eagles' keeper looked to get a hand on the shot as it hammered off the crossbar and out of bounds.
 
The Falcons defended extremely well all afternoon against a potent offensive attack. However, the Eagles had a chance with two seconds on the clock after a foul near midfield. The delivery went into the box, but Messiah was able to clear the ball away as the horn sounded as the Falcons earned the 1-0 victory over the No. 1 team in the country.
 
What's Up Next
With the victory, Messiah improves to 7-0-1 on the season while handing Mary Washington their first loss of the season, dropping the Eagles to 6-1-0. Messiah will be back in action on Wednesday night when they host the Lycoming Warriors at 7:00 p.m. on Shoemaker Field.