XML Box Score Elizabethtown, PA - Messiah College men's soccer wins 3-0 against the Blue Jays giving head coach
Brad McCarty his 100th win with the team. McCarty did so in just his fifth season as the leader.
The No. 3 ranked Falcons controlled the tempo of the game from start to finish and played the majority of the game in the Blue Jays half of the field. The first goal of the match came in the 21st minute by
Jeremy Payne who made a move around his defender inside the 18 on the right side. His shot then deflected off of the keeper, Rodrigo Barrera, and into the back of the net.
Pressure continued from the Falcons for the remainder of the opening half, making sure the ball didn't get anywhere near
Brandon West. They went into the half leading 1-0 and showed no signs of weakness.
The fans didn't disappoint in a game traditionally known as the "Marshmallow Cup" and had half of the field covered with marshmallows as soon as the opening whistle blew. Unfortunately this could be the last time those 'mallows show up, as it was the last Commonwealth matchup between these two teams. In a meeting that has gone back over 50 games, Messiah has won more than 30 of them and lost just twice.
The second half continued where the first left off with shots coming at the Blue Jays goal. Barrera kept a lot of those shots off the board, making 11 saves in the game. He couldn't stop them all though, and in the 54th minute of the game,
Joshua Wood got his 11th of the year. In typical Wood fashion, he turned with the ball inside the 18 around his defender and fired a shot that went top-shelf, past Barrera.
Robby Johnson netted his second of the year 15 minutes later on a beautiful play made by three freshmen.
Raul Serrano sent a quick pass up the field to
Jacob Bender who flicked the ball further up the field to a darting Johnson. Johnson was then past the last line of defenders and touched the ball past the left side of Barrera with enough pace to trickle into the goal.
More chances came throughout the rest of the second half for Messiah and looked very confident with the ball. Messiah outshot Elizabethtown in the game 27-2 and held the advantage in corners 12-1. The Falcons also halved the number of fouls conceded by the Blue Jays with six compared to 12.
The win takes Messiah to 12-1 overall and 3-0 in the conference. The Blue Jays dropped to 5-5-2 overall and 2-1 in the conference with the loss.
Messiah's next matchup will come on Wednesday, Oct. 16, when they host Alvernia University at 7:00 p.m.
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