Falcons Knock Off FDU-Florham To Move Up In League Standings
Freshman J.J. Miller went 7 for 11 in face-offs, collecting five ground balls as well.

Grantham, PA — Saturday was moving day for the Messiah College men’s lacrosse team, as a 12-7 victory over MAC Conference foe Fairleigh Dickinson University-Florham — coupled with another key result — shifted the league standings dramatically.

Messiah (7-4, 4-0) ran off its fourth consecutive win and its seventh in eight games with Saturday’s victory, while an 11-10 Lycoming College win over Widener University helped push the Falcons atop the MAC standings: Messiah now resides as the only undefeated team in league play, with Lycoming and Widener just a half game back at 3-1.

“Widener was voted to win the league in the pre-season coaches poll, and we were picked to finish second,” Messiah head coach Geof Weisenborn said following the Saturday shakedown. “We knew it was a big Saturday, as FDU was talented and athletic. They had played some very good competition to this point in the year, as their schedule is very tough. We knew we would have to play well to get a win.”

Weisenborn’s group did just that at Anderson Field, handing FDU-Florham (2-7, 2-2) its second consecutive conference loss. An early 3-1 lead after the first quarter was nearly nullified by a 3-2 Devils’ second period, but Messiah responded strong in the third: Two goals from junior Jeff Ziegler was followed by a man-up score from senior Ian Lee, and Messiah had captured an 8-4 lead with just 2:30 remaining in the stanza.

Perhaps an even bigger moment came on the Falcons’ defensive end of the field, as the team held FDU-Florham to just a two for six performance in man-up opportunities, including a two-man up denial in the third quarter.

“Our defense made the stops when we needed to today,” Weisenborn said. “We knew they were going to challenge us athletically. We knew they were going to challenge us on the offensive end with their athletic defenders. In the first half, we really didn’t get into much of an offensive rhythm, but we did a better job of dodging and getting some good shots on cage in the second.

“Knowing we killed a six to four (man) advantage in the third quarter really gave us some momentum,” Weisenborn continued. “At halftime, we told our guys we weren’t going to change anything, but it would be about who wanted it more. We really picked it up.”

FDU-Florham pulled within a 9-7 score following goals at the 11:35 and 10:16 marks of the fourth quarter, but a triad of Messiah scores closed the game with extra cushion. Senior Nick Ricucci blasted two scores that sandwiched another from Ziegler, giving Weisenborn’s group a 3-0 push that occurred in just 2:51 of game clock.

Ziegler led the scoring pace for Messiah, notching four goals to go with an assist. Ricucci added three markers, while senior Tim Sandusky dished out a team-leading four assists.

Messiah out shot the Devils by a 42 to 17 margin on the afternoon, while sophomore Brent Stewart and freshman J.J. Miller combined to go 13 of 22 in the face off X. The Falcons were a perfect 22 for 22 in clears on the day, while senior Ted Oberg came up with seven saves in goal.

Now sitting atop the MAC Conference by the slightest of margins, Weisenborn’s club will next get a serious out-of-league test, as the nation’s second-ranked team — Gettysburg College — will visit Messiah Wednesday. Game time is set for 4 p.m.

“Gettysburg is a talented team,” Weisenborn said. “We’ll have to play our best lacrosse, and it will be a good test to see where we are at as a team. It’s not about the record at the end, but it’s more about where we’re at and what we need to get better at.”