Grantham, PA – Top-ranked Messiah continued to be a thorn in the side of the Montclair State men's soccer team as the Falcons handed the third-ranked Red Hawks their first loss of the season with a 3-1 win at a rain-soaked Shoemaker Field on Saturday.
The defending NCAA Division III champions, now 8-0, used a couple of early goals en route to winning the matchup of Top 10 teams in a game playing in a steady rain. Montclair State fell to 7-1 as it dropped to 0-5 against Messiah, which includes three losses in the NCAA Division III Tournament.
Sophomore
Ryan Morris (Freehold, NJ, Freehold Township) had the lone goal for the Red Hawks
Messiah had the better run early in the contest and attacked frequently getting off 16 shots through the first 45 minutes, including seven chances early. Mike Kovach picked up a loose ball along the right side of the box and sent a cross to the left side where Jeremy Payne was able to head it in past
Kevin Lynch (Cinnaminson, NJ, Cinnaminson) for a 1-0 Falcon lead nine minutes into the contest.
Payne factored into the second goal as well at the 17:46 mark. He dropped off a ball to Sheldon Myer who then tapped the ball to Joshua Wood with the latter drilling a shot into the goal giving the host Falcons a two-goal advantage.
The 2-0 score would hold up until halftime although the Red Hawks began to level play off over the final 25 minutes of the period and had a couple of chances that unfortunately did not materialize.
Wood added to the Messiah lead 7:48 into the second half with his seventh goal off an assist from Jack Thompson. Montclair State finally broke through less than two minutes later when
Lucas Terci (Union, NJ, Union) picked up a deflected ball lifting it into the box where Morris headed it in for his fourth goal of the season.
Lynch made three saves for Montclair State while Brandon West had four for Messiah.
Montclair State will look to rebound on Wednesday, September 25 when it hosts William Paterson University in an NJAC matchup at
MSU Soccer Park beginning at 7:00 pm. The Red Hawks are currently 1-0 in the league after a 4-2 win at Rowan on September 11. Â
