GRANTHAM, Pa. – The Messiah University men's soccer team travels to Williams College for the Opening Weekend of the NCAA Tournament. The Falcons take on the Cortland Red Dragons in the first round on Saturday, Nov. 16 at 1:30 p.m.
Check out the opening weekend preview below.
Messiah University Falcons
How We Got Here
The Falcons enter the NCAA Tournament with a 14-5-1 record with a 7-0 record in MAC Commonwealth play. The Falcons opened the season strong with three-straight wins to open the season. The Falcons then went 1-5-1 in their next seven games before conference play started. Messiah then went on an eight-game winning streak to cap off the season to earn the top seed in the MAC Commonwealth Tournament. The Falcons then defeated York, 2-1 in the MAC Commonwealth Championship game to earn the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
The Falcons enter the NCAA Tournament totaling 50 goals with 2.5 goals per game. The Falcons offense dished out 40 assists on the season. The Falcons defense allowed 15 goals throughout the 2024 season, with just three goals allowed during their current 10-game winning streak.
Players to Watch
#10
Patrick Lee – 15 goals, six assists, 36 points, 25 shots on goal, seven game-winning goals
#24
Josh Bratager – nine goals, three assists, 21 points, 16 shots on goal, two game-winning goals
#23
Davis Pagett – eight goals, two assists, 18 points, 17 shots on goal, three game-winning goals
#15
Sam Phillips – five goals, six assists, 16 points, 20 shots on goal, two game-winning goals
#11
Kyle Spodnik – three goals, seven assists, 13 points, 14 shots on goal
#0
Adam Carter – 20 games started, 58 saves, 0.75 goals-against average, .806 save percentage, six shutouts
Cortland Red Dragons
How They Got Here
The Cortland Red Dragons enter the tournament with a 15-3-5 overall record and a 6-1-2 record in SUNYAC play. The Red Dragons started the season strong with a 9-2-3 record in non-conference play. The Red Dragons continued their great play with a 6-1-2 record in conference play. In the SUNYAC tournament, Cortland advanced to the Championship game with a win in penalty kicks over Oneonta. The Red Dragons took the momentum into the SUNYAC Championship game, defeating No. 17 Buffalo State, 3-1 to earn the automatic bid. The Red Dragons enter the tournament playing some their best soccer of the season with an 8-0-2 record in their last 10 games.
The Red Dragons enter the tournament with 56 goals scored on the season with 2.43 goals per game. Cortland has also dished out 42 assists on the season. The Cortland defense allowed only 20 goals throughout the 2024 season. With the 56 goals and only 20 goals allowed the Red Dragons entered the tournament with the 12th best goal differential in the country.
Players to Watch
#9 Matt Shultz – 17 goals, three assists, 37 points, 38 shots on goals, four game-winning goals
#10 Mateo Marra – 13 goals, five assists, 31 points, 36 shots on goal, four game-winning goals
#7 Yasin Choukri – nine goals, four assists, 22 points, 28 shots on goal, four game-winning goals
#11 Matias Valenzuela Matic – two goals, seven assists, 11 points, eight shots on goal
#1 Jordan Ott – 19 games started, 68 saves, 0.80 goals-against average, .819 save percentage, seven shutouts
History Against Messiah
Messiah and Cortland have met four times before Saturday. In the last matchup in 2018, the Falcons defeated the Red Dragons 3-2 in the NCAA Sectional Semifinals.
Williams College Ephs
How They Got Here
The Williams College Ephs enter the NCAA Tournament with a 10-4-3 overall record with a 5-3-2 record in NESCAC play. The Ephs cruised in non-conference play with a 5-1-1 record. With the difficult NESCAC schedule the Ephs finished the conference schedule with a 5-3-2 record. In the NESCAC Tournament, the Ephs defeated Wesleyan, 2-1 in double overtime, before falling to No. 7 Connecticut College in the NESCAC Semifinals.
The Ephs totaled 21 goals on the season with 1.24 goals per game. Even with only 21 goals scored on the season, Williams still tallied 18 assists on the season. As a defensive-first team, the Ephs allowed on 12 goals all season with 0.71 goals per game allowed. Along with the strong defense, the Ephs goalkeepers made 92 saves on the season.
Players to Watch
#21 Lordan Mitchell – seven goals, two assists, 16 points, 20 shots on goal, three game-winning goals
#27 Alex Bethencourt – four goals, four assists, 12 points, 11 shots on goal, three game-winning goals
#30 Ben Diffley – 17 games started, 86 saves, 0.74 goals-against average, .878 save percentage, six shutouts
History Against Messiah
The Falcons and Ephs have met five times before this opening weekend. The last matchup, the Ephs defeated the Falcons in penalty kicks in the Second of the NCAA Tournament in 2022.
Manhattanville University Valiants
How They Got Here
The Manhattanville University Valiants enter the tournament with a 13-7-1 record with a 9-2 record in Skyline Conference play. The Valiants started the season with a 4-5-1 record in non-conference play. The Valiants turned their season around with a 9-2 record in conference play. Manhattanville defeated St. Joseph's University – Long Island to earn an automatic bid in the NCAA Tournament.
The Valiants totaled 39 goals on the season with 1.86 goals per game. Manhattanville entered the tournament with 26 assists. The Valiants defense also allowed 39 goals on the season.
Players to Watch
#33 Jostyn Blanco – eight goals, two assists, 18 points, 19 shots on goal, three game-winning goals
#9 Mason Chetti – eight goals, two assists, 18 points, 35 shots on goal, two game-winning goals
#18 Alec Pineda – five goals, two assists, 12 points, 15 shots on goal
#00 Luis Granados – 16 games started, 62 saves, 1.74 goals-against average, .697 save percentage, three shutouts
History Against Messiah
The Falcons and Valiants have never met before.
