STEUBENVILLE, Ohio – On Saturday afternoon, the sixteenth-ranked Messiah University men's soccer team cruised to a 6-0 win over the Barons of Franciscan University. The Falcons scored the opening tally with a goal from
Kyle Spodnik from
Owen Resch at the 17-minute mark. Neither team scored a goal in the remainder of the first half, and the Falcons held a 1-0 lead at the break. The Falcons offense opened the second strong with a goal from
Elijah Perry from Resch to give the Falcons a 2-0 lead in the 50th minute. The Falcons continued the momentum on offense with two quick goals from Spodnik and
Jalen Keller. The Falcons added two more goals one from
Chase England and one from
Sam Phillips to give the Falcons the 6-0 win.
Killian O'Reilly earned the shutout win with four saves.
Up next, the Falcons host the sixth-ranked Red Devils of Dickinson College on Wednesday, Sept. 9 at 5:00 p.m.
First Half
The Falcons looked to get on the board early with a shot on goal from
Owen Resch in the opening minutes, but the Barons goalkeeper made the save to keep the game scoreless. The Falcons continued the pressure with a shot on goal from
Sam Phillips in the 15th minute, but the Barons' goalkeeper made another save to keep the game tied. The Barons looked for their first chance of the game in the 16th minute with a shot on goal, but
Killian O'Reilly made the save to keep the game tied at zero. The Falcons looked to break the scoreless tie in the 17th minute. After some quick passes after a throw in at the midfield line,
Jalen Keller gathered the ball and sent a pass towards the top-right corner of the box.
Owen Resch sent a one-timer low cross into the center of the box.
Kyle Spodnik tipped the low pass into the back of the net to give the Falcons a 1-0 lead. The Falcons pressured the Barons' defense through the remainder of the first half but could not find the back of the net and the score remained 1-0 at the break.
Second Half
The Falcons opened the second half strong with a goal from Elijah Perrry by
Owen Resch to push the Falcons lead to 2-0. The Falcons looked to continue their attack in the 60th minute. From the top-right corner of the box,
Owen Resch sent a ball right in the center of the box and
Kyle Spodnik headed the ball into the back of the net to give the Falcons a 3-0 lead. The Falcons added to their lead with a goal from
Jalen Keller in the 62nd minute.
Chase England scored his first career goals from
Kyle Spodnik and
Sam Phillips added a goal to round out the scoring in the Falcons 6-0 win.
Stats
Kyle Spodnik led the Falcons with two goals and an assist.
Chase England,
Jalen Keller,
Elijah Perry, and
Sam Phillips each scored a goal.
Owen Resch dished out three assists. The Falcons totaled 24 shots with 15 shots on goal. The Barons tallied six shots with four shots on goal. Messiah earned nine corner kicks to the Barons' five.
Killian O'Reilly earned the shutout win with four saves.
Next
The Falcons host the sixth-ranked Red Devils of Dickinson College on Wednesday, Sept. 9 at 5:00 p.m. for their 2026 home opener.
