GRANTHAM, Pa- The Messiah men's soccer team opened up MAC Commonwealth play on Saturday night, with a 3-0 victory over the Eagles of Eastern University. The Falcons started the contest on the front foot, and in the 7th minute Davis Pagett found Josh Bratager on the edge of the box who fired the ball into the net for the 1-0 lead. Bratager then scored his second goal of the night in the 28th minute off a Patrick Lee assist. The Falcons would add a third in the 35th minute thanks to Kyle Spodnik. The Falcons would hold the Eagles at bay for the rest of the match, seeing out the 3-0 victory to begin conference play.
 
Up next, the Falcons travel to Lancaster Bible College on Thursday, Oct. 10 at 7:00 p.m.
 
1st Half
Messiah controlled the game from the opening kickoff, pressuring the Eagles defense for the opening five minutes. This led to a chance in the 7th minute, as Davis Pagett found Josh Bratager on the outside of the box. Bratager fired a shot into the bottom left corner past the Eagles goalkeeper to give the Falcons a 1-0 lead. Eastern fought back into the game, firing off two shots in the following 10 minutes, with both being blocked by the Falcons defense. The Eagles pressure didn't last long, as in the 28th minute Patrick Lee found Josh Bratager again, this time at the penalty spot. Bratager took a touch and fired the ball into the bottom left corner for his second of the game, giving the Falcons a 2-0 lead. The scoring didn't stop there, however. In the 35th minute, the Falcons sent a corner into the box, which bounced around between a few defenders and fell to Kyle Spodnik, who fired a first time shot into the net, extending the Falcons lead to 3-0. The game would remain 3-0 going into the halftime break.
 
2nd Half
Both teams played very conservatively for the opening 20 minutes of the second half, with shots from Dylan Englehart and Kyle Spodnik both missing the net. The Eagles fired their first shot on net in the 78th minute, but it was comfortably saved by Adam Carter. The Eagles continued on the front foot, firing a shot of the woodwork in the 86th minute, followed directly by a shot headed for the bottom left corner. However, an incredible save by Adam Carter kept the Eagles off the board and ensured a clean sheet for the Messiah keeper, as the game ended 3-0.
 
Stats
Josh Bratager scored two goals for the Falcons, with Kyle Spodnik adding a goal of his own. Davis Pagett and Patrick Lee finished with one assist each. The Falcons fired off 14 shots in the contest, with three on net. The Eagles tallied 11 shots, also with three on goal. Messiah had three corners, while the Eagles had zero. Adam Carter had two saves and recorded his fourth clean sheet of the season.
 
Next
The Falcons travel to Lancaster Bible College on Thursday, Oct. 10 at 7:00 p.m.