WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. – On Saturday afternoon, the Messiah Men's soccer team defeated the Red Dragons of Cortland in a penalty shootout to advance to the second round of the 2024 NCAA Men's Soccer tournament.  The teams battled hard for the first 35 minutes with no goals to show for it, until in the 38th minute when Jarec Morlote found Ekow Yankah who fired in his first career goal to put the Falcons up, 1-0.  Messiah held onto the lead until the 78th minute when a Cortland free kick got sent into the box and found the back of the net off a Cortland attacker, tying the match 1-1. The score remained 1-1, sending the game into sudden-death overtime. The teams fought hard for every piece of space in two 10-minute overtime periods, but neither team could find the winner, sending the match to penalty kicks. In the shootout, Adam Carter saved two penalties and Jarec Morlote scored the winning kick to keep the Falcons season alive.
 
Up next, the Falcons are back in on Sunday, Nov. 17 at 1:00 p.m. to face the Ephs of Williams College in the second round of NCAA Men's Soccer tournament.

First Half
The game started off even, with the two teams trading opportunities in the opening 20 minutes, with Patrick Lee firing a shot on goal which was saved, and Adam Carter making a save of his own a few minutes later. The Red Dragons began to pile on some pressure, with multiple corner kicks in quick succession which the Falcons defended well. In the 38th minute Jarec Morlote picked up the ball in the Falcons defensive half and drove past a few Red Dragon defenders, carrying the ball to the Cortland box. He then played a ball to Ekow Yankah, who took a touch and slotted the ball past the goalkeeper at the near post, giving the Falcons a 1-0 lead with his first career goal. The Falcons finished the half strong, looking to double their lead. However, Cortland defended well, and the game remained 1-0 going into the halftime break.
 
Second Half
Messiah started the second half just like they ended the first, coming out strong with three corner kicks and shots from Josh Bratager, Grant Shreiner, and Patrick Lee all in the first 10 minutes of the half. The game then became chippy in the midfield, with both teams picking up multiple fouls, slowing down the pace of play. After a Messiah foul, the Red Dragons had a free kick just inside the Falcon half which was sent into the box. A Cortland attacker rose above everyone and headed the ball into the left corner of the net, tying the game 1-1. Cortland built off the goal, and in the final minute of the half sent a shot from outside the box towards the bottom right corner, but an amazing save by Adam Carter kept the game tied 1-1 and sent the match into sudden death overtime.
 
Overtime
The first overtime period was back and forth, with both teams trading shots early. The best attacking spell for the Falcons came four minutes into the first overtime, when a Josh Bratager shot was blocked for a Falcons corner. The ensuing corner found the head of Matthew Griffin, but he sent it wide right of the net.
 
With the score still tied after the first overtime period, the teams swapped sides and played another 10 minutes. However, both teams were tired after 100 plus minutes of soccer, with the ball being sent back and forth until the final whistle, sending the match to a penalty shootout.
 
Penalty Shootout
After the Red Dragons scored the opening kick of the shootout, Davis Pagett slotted his penalty kick into the bottom corner to keep it tied 1-1 after the first round of the shootout. In the second round of the shootout, Adam Carter made a great save to his right side to give the Falcons the advantage. However, the Cortland goalkeeper would respond with a save of his own and keep the score of the shootout 1-1 after two rounds. Both teams converted their next two attempts from the penalty spot, with Sam Phillips and Patrick Lee scoring the penalties for the Falcons. With the score tied 3-3 in the shootout, the Red Dragons final penalty taker came up to the spot looking to take the lead and put the pressure on Messiah. However, Adam Carter came up with one final save, going the right way and making the stop to give the Falcons the chance to win it. Tied 3-3, Jarec Morlote stepped up to the spot and put the ball into the back of the net, giving the Falcons the penalty shootout victory and sending the men to the second round of the NCAA tournament.
 
Stats
Ekow Yankah scored his first career goal for the Falcons. Jarec Morlote tallied an assist and the winning penalty kick. The Falcons fired off 15 shots with four on target. The Red Dragons had 13 shots with five on net. Messiah had eight corners to Cortland's five. Adam Carter made four saves and stopped two penalties in the shootout.
 
Next
The Falcons are back in on Sunday, Nov. 17 at 1:00 p.m. to face the Ephs of Williams College in the second round of NCAA Men's Soccer tournament