Falcons Take Early Control, Cruise Past DeSales 3-0
Posted: 9/19/2009
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DeSales posted a minimal threat to Messiah's back line players, such as junior Sean Cunningham.

By Travis Galaska, GoMessiah.com reporter
Grantham, PA — It was a family affair Saturday night at Shoemaker Field as Messiah hosted DeSales University — both on and off the pitch.

In front of a packed house of 2,700 screaming fans — many on hand for Messiah College’s Family Weekend — two of the Thompson brothers netted a goal each and junior Geoff Pezon added a third on a penalty kick to lift the Falcons over the Bulldogs by a 3-0 count.

With the raucous crowd expecting a great show from the number one team in the nation (according to both the NSCAA/Adidas and D3soccer.com Top 25 polls), the Falcons did not disappoint, racking up 24 total shots and controlling much of the offensive possession throughout the night.

It all started early for Messiah (6-0), which managed to get off three or four good shots early, but Bulldogs freshman goalkeeper Adam Franczak was well positioned and made some good saves to keep the match even. It was in the 15th minute that the Falcons would get one past Franczak, taking the lead and never looking back.

Freshman JP Fulton, carrying the ball down the right side of the field, got cut off by the Bulldog defense. This forced him to turn back and send a pass all the way back to senior defender Jevon Gondwe. Gondwe took the pass and made a few dribbles forward, surveying his options to renew the downfield attack. Spotting an opening, Gondwe sent a forward ball arcing into the Bulldog penalty box. Here, sophomore Danny Thompson was able to get in front of the man marking him and connect his head with the ball, sending a high chip-header toward the left side of the goal. Franczak, having crept slightly off his line, took a few strides back and leapt to bat the ball off course with an outstretched hand, but the ball only glanced off his hand and into the top left corner of the net, giving the Falcons a 1-0 lead at the 15:50 mark.

Messiah nearly doubled that lead only seconds later, as DeSales (5-2) immediately turned over the opening kick, leading to another Falcon attack down the right side. Junior Nick Thompson eventually wound up with the ball alone on the right-side boundary of the penalty box, sending a simple low cross into the box where a streaking Danny Thompson would again put his head on the ball. This time the younger Thompson dove low across the ground to meet it, but sent it just wide right of the goal.

From here on through the rest of the half, both teams would trade offensive possessions, although Messiah definitely got the best of the opportunities. The best look for the Bulldogs came in the 39th minute, when one of their forwards got an open look from the corner of the penalty box, but Messiah senior keeper Jared Clugston dove to his left beautifully to stop the low blast, making one of his four saves on the night en route to his third shutout of the season. Messiah would end the half with 13 of their 24 total shots, while the Bulldogs were limited to just five.

“I was happy with the guys, they created lots of scoring opportunities in both halves tonight,” said Brad McCarty, Messiah head coach.

The second period was more of the same for the Falcons, who have absolutely dominated in second halves this season: Messiah has netted 16 of their 20 total goals after the halftime break thus far on the season.

Again the Falcons got off to a very quick start in Saturday’s final half, as just four minutes in, sophomore Kent Ramirez gained some open space along the sideline and sent a cross into the box for Nick Thompson, who sent a header on goal, but Franczek was able to make the save.

Just one minute later, the Falcons would send another cross into the penalty box. The ball made it past the intended Messiah attacker and all the way across the goal outside the goal box. Franczek stepped off his line to try to smother up the ball, but his original effort was mishandled and the ball bounded just feet away from his prone body. Scrambling on the ground to reach the ball, Franczek caught sight of Nick Thompson rushing toward the loose ball. In a last second effort, Franczek reached out to grab the ball, but instead clipped Thompson’s cleat and sent him sprawling across the ground. Without hesitation, the referee blew his whistle and awarded the Falcons a penalty kick, which junior Geoff Pezon sent screaming into the left upper ninety of the net, making the score 2-0 in favor of the Falcons with 49:34 elapsed.

In the 55th minute, the Falcons recorded their final tally of the night off another set piece, this one a corner kick. Again maintaining possession in the offensive zone, the Falcons managed to get a ball deep into the Bulldog half, forcing them to clear it out of danger across the end line. Pezon sent an arcing cross into the box, where it was greeted by the head of Nick Thompson, who sent it into the back of the net to seal the 3-0 victory.

From here, it was just a matter of mopping up for the Falcons. The home team continued to play their possession style of game, gaining control of the ball and making clean passes in the offensive zone to create chances. In fact, in the 76th minute, the Falcons were awarded another penalty kick, this one for an unclean tackle in the box, but the new Bulldog keeper, senior Kevin Lawrence, made an excellent slide across the line to his left to save the low shot from sophomore Trevor Lee.

The closest the Bulldogs would get would come on a set piece of their own from just outside the top of the Falcon penalty box late in the game, as they were able to get off a clean shot on the kick, but the low liner went wide left of the Falcon goal, keeping the shutout intact.

“After last game, the defense was a big point of emphasis for our team,” said McCarty. “We wanted to have all 11 of our guys play solid defensively, and we did that tonight.”

With just two minutes left, the Falcons were denied a late insurance goal, as Lee got an open look from inside the penalty box, dribbling around a sliding Lawrence and slotting a low ball toward the right corner of the net. Before the ball could cross the line, however, a sliding Bulldog defender laid out across the line to block the ball, allowing time for his other defensive teammates to get back and clear the ball across the end line and out of danger.

Messiah next takes their unblemished record on the road Wednesday, facing Dickinson College — ranked 18th in the latest NSCAA/Adidas Top 25 Poll and 15th in the initial D3soccer.com offering — a team that currently holds a 6-0 record of its own. Kick-off is set for 6 p.m. at the Red Devils’ Biddle Field.