Men's Soccer
#1 Messiah 2, Lebanon Valley 0

Box Score

GRANTHAM, Pa. – Two late goals from #1 Messiah ousted Lebanon Valley men's soccer from the Commonwealth Conference playoffs Tuesday evening. The top seeded Falcons advance to the championship tilt and play second seeded Elizabethtown on Saturday.

The two teams played evenly in the first half. Messiah (17-1) held the advantage offensively with nine shots, but LVC's defense stayed strong allowing just one of the shots to reach goalie James Clements. The Dutchmen (9-8-1) tallied two shots, with Justin Hutchinson posting the only shot on goal. Dribbling in from the right side, Hutchinson hit a shot from just inside the box that was covered up by goalie Jake Berry.

Continuing in the second half, Lebanon Valley had another great opportunity from Hutchinson early on. Getting a strong foot under the ball, Hutchinson sent a kick from 15 yards out. The ball flew just over the crossbar and came to rest on the top netting.

The Falcons continued to pressure in the final 45 minutes. Defender AJ Hull, a center back, made key saves on the goal line to keep the game scoreless.

Nick Thompson, the Commonwealth Conference Player or the Year, put Messiah on the board at 78:02. Sean Cunningham sent a cross in from the right side that connected with Thompson, who sent it to the far corner.

Just over a minute later, the Falcons secured the win with a goal from Derek Black. Intercepting a pass from Geoff Pezon past midfield, Black challenged Clements high in the box, sneaking it around and sending it into the lower right corner.

Lebanon Valley added five shots in the second half for seven total in the contest. Chris Hall, Andrew Cooper, and Hutchinson posted two shots each for the Dutchmen. Messiah notched 17 shots total and held a 6-3 advantage in corner kicks.

Both Clements and Berry made one save each.