Box Score
Annville, PA – Messiah College earned a 4-1 win over Lebanon Valley College on Saturday, moving their current win streak to 12 games while also continuing an impressive stretch of scoring output.
Three different players scored for the Falcons in the win, as Messiah has now scored 25 goals in the past five games. On Saturday, none of the Falcons' goal-scorers entered the game among the team's top-three in either goals or total points.
Sophomore
Brian Ramirez put the Falcons up early against the Dutchmen, as he beat two defenders in the midfield before punching in a shot from just above the 18-yard line. The goal, scored in just the 8th minute of play, came after he secured possession in the middle of the field as Lebanon Valley was attempting to clear the ball upfield. The goal was his second of the season.
Not long after that first score, the Falcons went ahead 2-0 on a goal by sophomore
Mike Kovach. The scoring opportunity started with Kovach attacking up the right side of the field before finding sophomore Josh Wood in the midfield. As Wood continued towards the goal and the defense collapsed, Wood returned the ball to Kovach who was given an uncontested strike into the net.
Now trailing 2-0, the Dutchmen would muster little in response. The hosts would collect just a single shot in the entire first half, while Messiah would attempt 12 shots through the first 45 minutes. With the Falcons continuing to press forward, their 11th shot of the first half put them up 3-0, as freshman
Danny Rowe's third goal of the season gave Messiah a commanding lead.
The Falcons immediately continued their strong play as the second half started, with Kovach collecting his second goal of the game just five minutes after the restart. His goal was the third unassisted score of the afternoon for Messiah, with the 4-0 lead coming off a shot from 12 yards out in the right side of the penalty box.
Though the game's score was strongly in Messiah's favor at this point, both teams continued to play physically—Messiah to keep the momentum, and Lebanon Valley to close their deficit.
In the 68th minute, the Dutchmen did manage to close the gap to 4-1 off a score by Jim Fisher. His first goal of the season came off an assist by Bradley Mehl, with Fisher gathering the through ball to go one-on-one with Messiah keeper
Jake Berry. With Berry closing down on the attack, Fisher managed to chip his shot over the keeper's shoulder and into the net.
But for Lebanon Valley, it would be a case of both “too little, too late” and “too much Messiah” as the Falcons held the majority of possession throughout the second half and to the final horn. Though they would settle for just Kovach's score in the second half, the Falcons still outshot the Dutchmen 13 to four in the final 45 minutes.
The loss drops Lebanon Valley to 10-3-1 overall, including 3-2 in the Commonwealth Conference.
With the win, Messiah moves to 13-0-1 on the season, including 5-0 in the Commonwealth. Ranked No. 2 in the most recent NSCAA Top 25 Poll, the Falcons will now look forward to hosting Lycoming College on Wednesday, Oct. 17. Game time is set for 7:00 p.m.
