OWINGS Mills, Md. – The Messiah University men's lacrosse team fell to the Mustangs of Stevenson University, 26-19 on Wednesday night in the MAC Commonwealth Semifinals. The Mustangs jumped to a 5-2 lead after the first quarter. The Mustangs continued to control the game with a 8-1 run in the second to take a 13-3 lead into the half. The Falcons outscored the Mustangs 9-6 in the third to reduce the Mustang lead to 19-12 heading into the final quarter. Both teams scored seven goals in the final quarter to put the final score at 26=19 with the Mustangs advancing to the championship game on Saturday. Chad Teresky finished the game with 10 points on a goal and nine assists. Bobby Berg also totaled 10 points with nine goals and an assist.
 
First Quarter
The Mustangs opened the game strong with the first four goals to take an early 4-0 lead with 8:34 remaining in the first quarter. The Falcons responded with two straight goals from Mike McKnelly and Owen Hammel to reduce the Mustang lead to two with 1:48 remaining in the quarter. The Mustangs finished the quarter with a goal with only eight seconds remaining to push their lead to 5-2 headed into the second quarter.
 
Second Quarter
The Mustangs opened the second quarter strong with three unanswered goals to give Stevenson a 8-2 lead. The Falcons answered back with a goal from Bobby Berg by Chad Teresky to reduce the Stevenson lead to five with 8:53 remaining in the half. The Mustangs finished the half with five straight goals to give them a 13-3 lead at the half.
 
Third Quarter
The Falcons opened the third quarter with a man-up goal from Bobby Berg by RJ Mellor to reduce the Mustang lead to 13-4 with 14:39 remaining in the quarter. The Mustangs then rattled off five straight goals to extend their lead to 18-4 with 10:42 remaining in the the quarter. The Falcons then went on a 8-1 run to end the third with five goals from Bobby Berg highlighting the run to put the score at 19-12 heading into the final quarter.
 
Fourth Quarter
The Mustangs scored two straight goals in the first minute to push their lead back to nine. The Falcons responded quickly with two straight goals from Ben Antel and Bobby Berg to reduce the Mustangs lead back to seven with 10:52 remaining in the fourth. The Mustangs then scored three unanswered goals to extend their lead to 24-14 with 6:14 remaining in the game. The Falcons answered for a late comeback attempt with five unanswered goals that started with a man-up goal from RJ Mellor and ended up a man-up goal from Mike McKnelly to put the Falcons within five with 3:22 remaining in the game. The Mustangs scored the final two goals to wrap up their 26-19 win.
 
Stats
Chad Teresky finished the game with 10 points on a goal and nine assists. Teresky now holds the record for points (109) and assists (62) in a single season in program history. Bobby Berg also totaled 10 points with nine goals and an assist. Berg caps off the season with the most goals in a single season in program history with 74 goals. Mike McKnelly, Owen Hammel, and RJ Mellor each added three points. Jesse Lynch led the Falcons defense with two caused turnovers and five ground balls. Ben Antel won 13 faceoffs, scooped up five ground balls, and scored a goal. Jourdain Algarin made 10 saves in the cage. Brock Roe earned time in the cage and made four saves. Josh Grove also earned time in net for the Falcons.
 
Season Recap
The Falcons finished the season with a 12-6 record and a 5-2 record in MAC Commonwealth play. The 12 wins are the most the Falcons have had in a single season since the 2015 season.