Mitchell Gochnauer vs. Messiah 9/27/17
Dan Gittis
2
Winner Messiah MESS (8-1)
1
Elizabethtown ETOWN (5-4)
Winner
Messiah MESS
(8-1)
2
Final
1
Elizabethtown ETOWN
(5-4)
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 OT 1 F
Messiah MESS 0 1 1 2
Elizabethtown ETOWN 0 1 0 1

Game Recap: Men's Soccer |

Blue Jays strong effort dashed in OT by #7 Messiah

ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. -- Mitchell Gochnauer put Elizabethtown in position to upset No. 7 Messiah, but the Falcons knotted the annual Marshmallow Bowl with less than 10 minutes left in regulation and scored the game-winner 2:54 into overtime to win it, 2-1, Wednesday night at Herr Field.

Both teams had near misses and Blue Jays' goalkeeper Brian Gately played arguably his best game in two years with the program to keep E-town in it.

Gilbert Waso, who played the hero last time the two rivals met on Herr Field in 2015, came within inches of putting the Jays (5-4) on top in the 37th minute. His header was ticketed to the upper right corner, but was just high, instead hitting off the crossbar before being cleared away by the Falcons.

While the first half produced no goals, the second would not be lacking for action.

In the 51st minute, Kirby Robbins broke away on the left flank, but his shot was slapped aside by the right glove of Gately. E-town's backstop would stone Robbins again in the 63rd minute, this time extending his left glove to stop a header marked for the lower right corner.

Elizabethtown finally broke through in the 69th minute when Danny Sullivan's free kick from about 30 yards out was headed past Messiah keeper Connor Bell for a 1-0 lead.

Extensive pressure from the Falcons paid off for the visitors with 9:25 to go when Colby Thomas took Robbins' pass and laced a shot into the lower left to tie the game.

Thomas almost banked the game-winner in the 86th minute, barely missing the right upper 90.

JD Haaf's chance to end it in OT was snared by Bell in the 91st minute and close to three minutes later Robbins ran onto Nick West's cross and headed it past Gately for the win.

The win was Messiah's (8-1) second in a row over the Blue Jays in overtime. The Falcons came on strong in the second half, outshooting E-town 12-3 after the Jays held a 6-5 advantage at the break.

Gately made four saves, including three in the second half. Bell's stop on Haaf was his lone save of the night.

Elizabethtown returns to Wolf Field on Saturday to face Scranton at 7 p.m. The Blue Jays and Royals have met for the last two Landmark Conference championships.


 
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