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Grantham, PA - The Falcons of Messiah College kept knocking on the door Saturday night, but were unable to find the back of the net as they played to a scoreless tie with Oneonta State. Messiah, ranked No. 3 in the NSCAA Preseason Top 25 Poll, controlled much of the tempo on the night, with the No. 8 Red Dragons doing just enough to earn the draw.
 
Playing one night after defeating Covenant College 3-0, the Falcons found themselves in a physical battle with Oneonta throughout the evening. Though both teams battled hard in the first half to grab momentum, the Falcons seemed quicker and sharper as the game progressed.
 
“Oneonta comes from a conference that's physical, but they play good soccer,” Messiah head coach Brad McCarty said in reference to the Red Dragons' SUNYAC affiliation. “Early on, both teams were trying to figure out who would impress their will on the other. In the second half and overtime, I think we did that.”
 
True to McCarty's assessment, the Falcons seemed poised to punch in a game-changing score on a number of occasions. The Falcons even outshot the Red Dragons 11-3 in the final 65 minutes, covering the second period and two 10-minute overtimes.
 
With less than five minutes to play in regulation, sophomore Jeremy Payne found a pair of especially terrific chances for a game-winner. First, with 4:30 remaining, classmate Brian Ramirez dropped a ball from the midfield to a posting Payne on the 18-yard line. Receiving the pass and turning over his shoulder, Payne found himself 10 yards from the opposing keeper Daniel DeBottis for a rocket off DeBottis' knees.
 
Just over a minute later Payne again found himself on the right side of the box—in almost the exact same one-on-one opportunity with DeBottis—for a strike that went across the box and off the far post.
 
“We want to be tough, play competitive and move the ball around,” McCarty said. “We did that tonight, we played a majority of the night in (Oneonta's) half of the field, and we found really good chances.”
 
With Messiah keeping the pressure on, Oneonta scrambled to find a few opportunities for their own attack. But when they did, they seemed to be quality. Their closest chance in the second half came with just under twelve minutes to play. Forward Colin Volpe played a long cross from midway up the left side to the far post of the goal. There, Daniel Josepher dove in an attempt to head the ball towards the net, but slightly mistimed his jump. He rolled forward over the ball and was whistled for a handball—just five yards out from the goal line.
 
Though the Red Dragons did manage to produce a few chances, it was the Falcons that seemed poised to take the lead. In the second half and overtime, Messiah hit the post no less than four times. Additionally, DeBottis collected a number of saves by punching Messiah shots over the crossbar.
 
The Falcons' final great chance came with just over two minutes remaining in the second overtime. Given a free kick just outside of the left corner of the 18-yard line, Ramirez drilled a perfect shot over the three-man wall towards and off the near post. Though DeBottis dove, he was not in position to cover the post had the ball been just a foot to the right.

The ball then rebounded into the box and was popped in the air where junior Josh Wood's attempt at a header was overmatched only by the outstretched arms of DeBottis.
 
While the tie may have disappointing-- especially given their chances on the Red Dragons' goal-- McCarty knows the value of playing such high-intensity games early in the year.
 
“We schedule good times, like Oneonta, because it's important for us to grow and develop as a team,” McCarty said. “A big reason we do this is to prepare us for the opportunity to qualify for the NCAA Tournament and advance.”
 
“We'll continue to work hard and improve,” he continued. “Our second group needs to keep learning and improving, and I think they'll do that. We'll just keep looking to improve each day.”  
 
In total, the Falcons took 17 shots against the Red Dragons' seven. Messiah also attempted 14 corner kicks, while Oneonta managed just three. DeBottis collected nine saves in the net, with sophomore Brandon West collecting two. Oneonta State was whistled for 14 fouls, nine more than the hosts.
 
The Falcons will return to action on Wednesday, September 5, when they travel to Haverford College. The game will be a rematch of last year's 1-0 win by Messiah.