CARLISLE, Pa. - The Dickinson men's soccer team put their unblemished record on the line on Wednesday night with a stiff test as the second-ranked Messiah University came calling to Miller Memorial Field. Unfortunately, for the Red and White an 82nd-minute header by Mark Adja was enough for the Falcons to escape with a 1-0 win.
Dickinson applied some early pressure to the visitors backline as
Tyson Burling tested Messiah keeper Adam Carter in the seventh-minute, but he was up to the task. The Falcons then gained the momentum recording the next five shots through Cole Cristian, Patrick Lee, Matt McDonald, Jarec Morlote and Davis Pagett. Fortunately, for the Devils the defense stayed tight and compact which made it so all of those visiting attempts did not have a chance to both DC keeper
Alexander Henrich. After being held without another shot over the ensuing 20-plus minutes Burling finally got off another blast in the 32nd-minute, however, once again Carter had the answer which allowed the game to enter the break scoreless.
For the second straight period it would be the Devils on the "front-foot" to begin things as both
Luke Beiles and
Ethan Jarden called upon Carter inside the opening five minutes. During the next ten minute segment it would be the Falcons who had all the shots with Grant Johnson, Cristian, McDonald and Pagett each having a crack at goal, forcing Henrich into making his first stop of the match in the 60th. After all that attacking time, Dickinson stormed back down the pitch towards Carter and once again tasked him with turning away
Saul Iwowo two minutes later. The match did not see another shot until the 76:38 mark when Josh Bratager put a shot right in the "bread basket" of Henrich, before Sam Phillips sailed one wide over the goal. The Falcons would find the winner with 81:42 off the clock when Morlote played a cross in from the left-wing that was nodded home by Adja for the 1-0 lead. The Devils had one final crack at an equalizer two minutes later, but
Luke Finkielstein was told "NO" by Carter to finish off the win.
Red Devil Leaders
Shots -Â Â Burling (2)
Saves - Henrich (3)
Falcon Leaders
Goals - Adja (1)
Shots - Cristian, Lee, McDonald and Pagett (2)
Saves - Carter (6)
Next on the Pitch
Dickinson (3-1-0) returns to Miller Memorial Field on Saturday afternoon at 3pm when they welcome the Shoremen of Washington College to Carlisle for the Centennial Conference opener.
