GRANTHAM, Pa. – On Saturday night, the third-ranked Messiah University men's soccer team fell to the Sea Gulls of Salisbury University, 3-1 on Shoemaker field. The Sea Gulls scored under one-minute into the contest. The Sea Gulls doubled their lead near the end of the first half, taking a 2-0 lead into the break.
Grant Shreiner cut the lead in half with his first career goal in the 76th minute to reduce the Sea Gulls lead to one. Salisbury though, restored their two-goal lead in the 85th minute, ending the scoring for the night with a 3-1 win.
Up next, the Falcons are back in action at Elizabethtown College on Wednesday, Sept. 18 at 7:00 p.m. in the annual Marshmallow Bowl.
First Half
The Falcons kicked off the game and opened with early pressure in the first 30 seconds, but a turnover in the midfield sprung a Sea Gulls counterattack. The Sea Gulls sent through ball and a Salisbury forward shot the ball into the back of the net to give the Sea Gulls a 1-0 lead in the first minute. After falling into a quick deficit, Messiah started to take control of the game. The Falcons mounted serious pressure, with
Sam Phillips making multiple good runs down the left wing, just failing to find the final service to get a goal back. The best chance of the half for the Falcons came just over 11 minutes into the half.
Kyle Spodnik made a run into the box and put a ball in that was headed down by the Sea Gulls defense, right to
Patrick Lee who rocketed a shot on frame that was fought off by the Salisbury goalkeeper. Salisbury earned a free kick in the 33rd minute. The ball was played into the box, and after a header from a Salisbury midfielder, a Salisbury forward tipped the ball into the bottom-left corner to put the Sea Gulls up 2-0 at the half.
Second Half
The Falcons came out of the break strong, but with no goals to show for it. The Salisbury defense continued to hold the Messiah attack at bay, until the 76th minute, when
Patrick Lee drove down the left side of the field into the box, firing a shot off the left post of the Sea Gulls net. The rebound fell perfectly to
Grant Shreiner, who put the ball into the bottom left corner for his first career goal, cutting the lead in half. Messiah built off the goal, continuously attacking the Sea Gulls goal for the next 10 minutes, including a shot by
Josh Bratager, which was saved off the line by the Salisbury defense. The Falcon pressure was not enough, as the Sea Gulls got one final break in the 85th minute, slotting the ball into the bottom left corner and restoring their two-goal lead, with the Falcons finally falling 3-1.
Stats
Grant Shreiner's first career goal was the lone marker for the Falcons. Messiah had 13 shots with six being on goal. Salisbury had five shots, with three shots on goal. The Falcons had seven corners to the Sea Gulls zero.
Next
The Falcons are back in action at Elizabethtown College on Wednesday, Sept. 18 at 7:00 p.m. in the annual Marshmallow Bowl.
