Falcons Conclude Spring Schedule Against Maryland, Penn
To-be sophomore Geoff Pezon figures to be a key component to next year's midfield.
College Park, MD — The Messiah College men’s soccer team concluded their spring non-traditional season Saturday, competing in a pair of 50-minute contests at the University of Maryland. The coaching staff said they were excited to work with their mix of young and experienced players in anticipation of the 2008 season.
Their first competition occurred April 19th when the team played program alumni on Shoemaker Field. The alumni started out strong and looked good the first 15 minutes as they knocked the ball around the midfield. However, it was the varsity team who scored first and began to control the game as they took a 1-0 lead into halftime.
The Falcons came out after halftime and dominated play the first 15 minutes but couldn’t muster another goal to push their lead to 2-0. In the end, the alumni scored on a set piece and the game ended in a 1-1 tie. The Messiah men’s soccer team has not defeated their alumni since the spring of 2000, and this year was no different despite out shooting them 17-6.
A week later the Falcons traveled down to College Park, Maryland and competed in two "mini games" for their allotted spring season “play day”. In addition to ACC power Maryland, the Falcons were set to play Ivy League foe Penn University, with each game set for two 25-minute halves.
The first match for Messiah was against the host school Maryland on their home Ludwig Field. The Falcons came out strong and demonstrated the ability to penetrate on the ground and were able to dictate the pace of play. The Terrapins play a much more direct style and they were very dangerous as they played balls off their forwards. After 50 minutes the friendly ended in a 0-0 draw with Maryland having better scoring opportunities and Messiah having had more of the ball.
The second match was against Penn and the Quakers looked good early. Penn did a good job of knocking the ball around while Messiah was still attempting to transition from their previous game. The second half was better for the Falcons as they continued to play penetrating balls on the ground and pressured Penn defensively throughout the field. However, the second game finished with same result as the first in a 0-0 tie.
The defensive man of the match was senior JD Binger, who was a dominant force both in the air and on the ground. The All-American demonstrated his physical ability to shut down talented forwards as well as his technical ability to start the Falcons passing attack. The offensive man of the match was freshman Geoff Pezon, who played both attacking and defensive center midfield. Pezon played well in both matches showing his prowess on the ball and his knack for turning in the midfield under pressure. Jared Clugston played in goal in the first match and Nick Blossey was in the net for the second. Both goalkeepers needed to make a crucial save in the final minute of play each game to keep clean scoresheets.
The Falcons open up their 2008 season when they fly out to Illinois where they will play both University of Chicago and Wheaton College at Wheaton’s Joe Bean Stadium. Those games are scheduled for Aug. 29 and Aug. 30, respectively. To view Messiah's complete 2008 schedule, click here.
