GRANTHAM, Pa. – On Saturday evening, the Messiah men's soccer team fell at home to the Lions of Penn State Harrisburg, 1-0. Both teams threatened on the attack in the first half, but neither team could find the back of the net. The best chance was a Penn State Harrisburg shot that rang off the crossbar in the 38th minute. Early in the second half, a long throw into the box crashed off a few bodies, before being poked across the line by Penn State Harrisburg to take a 1-0 lead. The lions then held onto the lead for the remainder of the contest.
Up next, the Falcons travel to Glassboro, N.J. to take on the ninth-ranked Profs of Rowan University on Wednesday, Sept. 25 at 5:00 p.m.
First Half
The Lions started the game strong, with a shot on goal off a free kick in the first five minutes The shot though was saved by
Adam Carter, keeping the game scoreless. The match turned scrappy as the teams battled in the midfield, with Penn State Harrisburg picking up two yellow cards and Messiah picking up one in the half. Shots from
Jarec Morlote,
Dylan Englehart, and
Sam Phillips all looked to challenge the Lions keeper, but only Phillips' could register a shot on goal. The best chance of the half came when a Penn State Harrisburg through ball found a forward, who then ripped a shot off the crossbar and into the sky, before being claimed by
Adam Carter. Both teams went back and forth for the remainder of the half to keep the game scoreless.
Second Half
Messiah came out of the break on the front foot, with shots from
Davis Pagett,
Grant Shreiner, and
Patrick Lee all forcing saves from the Penn State Harrisburg goalkeeper. However, in the 56th minute, a Lion throw in flew into the Falcon box and after a shot that deflected off a Falcons defender on the back line, a Lions forward tapped in the rebound to give the Lions a 1-0 lead. Penn State Harrisburg sat back for the final 35 minutes, and the Falcons failed to find an equalizer, as the Lions held on for the 1-0 victory.
Stats
The Falcons totaled nine shots with four on goal. Penn State Harrisburg tallied 13 shots with five on goal. Messiah had six corners to Penn State Harrisburg's two.
Adam Carter had four saves in net for the Falcons.
Next
The Falcons travel to Glassboro, N.J. to take on the ninth-ranked Profs of Rowan University on Wednesday, Sept. 25 at 5:00 p.m.
