Reserves Help Messiah Rebound, Push Past Widener By 3-1 Tally
Posted: 10/10/2009
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Junior Mark Jeschke helped get the Falcons on the board first Saturday.

Chester, PA — For a program unaccustomed to playing after a loss, Messiah sure looked pretty good at it Saturday night.

Just three days after a 2-0 defeat at seventh-ranked York College, the Falcons opened Commonwealth Conference play with a 3-1 decision at Widener University, using a pair of late first-half goals to get past the Pride at Leslie Quick Stadium.

It was just the fourth time in the last four seasons that Messiah (10-1, 1-0) was put in the position of playing following a regular-season defeat, and the Falcons’ reserves helped make certain the team wouldn’t be in the same position for its next contest.

“I think anytime you’re coming off a loss, you want to find a way to create positive momentum,” said Brad McCarty, Messiah head coach. “I think the two ways we wanted that to occur tonight was to play well and to win. I thought we did a good job on both sides of the ball.”

It is unclear where Messiah — ranked atop both the NSCAA/Adidas Top 25 Poll and the D3soccer.com Top 25 ballot — will appear in next week’s rankings, but Saturday’s play seemed to affirm that Wednesday’s loss to York was a mere hiccup.

Strong play from the Falcons’ starting group was met with equally stout play from the club’s reserves in the first half of Saturday’s tilt, as Messiah’s second group pushed past Widener (4-6-2, 1-1) for the first two goals of the evening.

Freshman Josh Wood got Messiah on the board in the 39th minute of play, making a run out of the middle of the field and angling toward junior Mark Jeschke, who was handling the ball on the right flank.

Wood then took the ball off Jeschke’s feet and cut back toward the middle, ripping a left-footed blast from 12 yards out that beat Widener keeper Hamed Correa with pace and placement.

Just five minutes later, sophomore Sam Woodworth got into the act, playing a ball to Jeschke inside the Pride’s 18-yard box. Jeschke’s shot was initially stopped by Correa, but the rebound glanced back out into the field of play. Woodworth continued his run and tapped in the loose change from point-blank range, giving the Falcons a 2-0 lead just 44 seconds before the halftime buzzer.

“One of the things we asked before the game started was four our second group to give us a goal,” McCarty said. “They produced both goals in the first half, and that was the difference in the game.”

Woodworth’s insurance goal took on bigger meaning just a minute into the second period, as Widener’s Justin Hovaker was able to put the Pride on the board following a corner kick. Widener’s Brad Ziegler played a ball on the ground and Hovaker was there to knock in a blast from just six yards out, turning things into a one-goal affair at the 46:11 mark.

An increasing amount of Messiah ball control snuffed out any thoughts of a Pride comeback effort, however, as the Falcons would go on to out-shoot Widener by an 11-3 difference in the game’s final 45 minutes.

That possession game was rewarded just three minutes before the final horn, as sophomore Danny Thompson knocked in his fourth goal of the season off a beauty of a pass from junior Geoff Pezon.

Pezon penetrated the Pride box before pushing a nice ball to Thompson, who was posting up just off the end line. Thompson then rolled his defender and finished from close range, making the final three minutes of play far less dramatic than what it could have been.

“Widener did a good job of pressuring hard in the midfield, shifting hard defensively and attempted to double our wings,” McCarty said. “They also had a dangerous attack with several players that had great pace. I thought our second group came on in the first half and were dynamic. They played great. I think that helped us continue to move the ball in the second half.”

Messiah finished with a 17-6 advantage in total shots on the evening, though Widener’s speed up front helped the hosts to five corner kicks (the Falcons attempted seven).

Senior goalkeeper Jared Clugston finished with three saves on the evening, as did Correa.

“It’s always important for us to do well in the conference,” McCarty said. “I don’t know if it’s any different from any other game, because we always adhere to the maxim that every game is a big game. But, again, it’s nice to start conference play with a solid win.”

Regardless of who is asked, the Falcons’ next contest could be classified as a ‘big game,’ as Messiah will host league foe Lebanon Valley College on Tuesday. Lebanon Valley handed Messiah a 2-1 loss at Herbert Field last season — Messiah’s first Commonwealth Conference loss to a team other than Elizabethtown College since the league’s inception.

“I think the team’s excited to have an opportunity to play LVC again,” McCarty said. “They played well and beat us last year. We’re looking forward to playing them again.”

Tuesday’s game time is set for 7 p.m. at Shoemaker Field.