Box Score
PHOTO GALLERY (Facebook)
GRANTHAM, Pa. – From the first minute to the absolute final second the Kenyon College men's soccer team threw everything it had at No. 4 Messiah College, and gave the Falcons its toughest test of the NCAA Division III Tournament. The Lords took it to the wire, but with fewer than 120 seconds left in regulation the Lords lost their lead to a late Messiah goal. The Falcons ended the Lords' incredible tournament run in the Round of 16 with a 2-1 decision at Shoemaker Field in Grantham, Pa. on Saturday night.
In an epic battle to the end, Messiah roused up one more goal that the Lords that came in the 89th minute of the contest. The Falcons had amped up their offensive output in the second half, outshooting Kenyon 14-5, but their final shot served as the deal breaker that propelled them into the section final.
Brian Ramirez scored the game-winning tally by using a host of Falcons in front of him as a screen for his shot. After dribbling to the outer edge of the box from the right side, he put forth a low liner that skid to the outside post and beyond the outstretched arms of goalkeeper Sam Clougher.
The Lords were unable to get another shot off to contend the late goal and saw their NCAA Tournament run come to an abrupt end.
Moments earlier, defenseman Sam Justice extended Kenyon's life by making a defensive save on what would have been a sure goal for Jack Thompson. Camped out on the right post, Justice was in the right place at the right time when a loose ball fell on Thompson's foot. The junior answered the call and got a piece of the attempt just after impact to prevent the score.
The Falcons entered the match as the heavy favorites, but he Lords never backed down and battled to a 1-1 halftime score. After Messiah scored an early goal, Kenyon's defense regrouped to keep the Falcons in check. The Lords limited them to just five shots in the first half, matching their output in the opening 45 minutes.
Messiah's Sheldon Meyer placed a hard strike on the ball from about 25 yards out from the middle of the field and rattled the right post, but the ball stayed inside the goal to give the hosts a 1-0 lead inside the match's first three minutes. It was his fifth goal of the season.
The Lords took advantage of a costly mistake by the Falcons when on an attempt to clear out the ball, misplayed it right to Nate Petrou. Wasting no time, Petrou then fired a ground ball that skipped into the open net and tied the game at one each. The goal came in the 40th minute and was his third of the season.
Kenyon was not without opportunity to take the lead in the second half. Perhaps their best opportunity when freshman Tony Amolo missed high with a shot after receiving a pass with one defender to beat from nearly 30 yards away from the goal. After getting the inside side on his man, Amolo went for the upper-left corner of the cage, but missed. Amolo led the Lords with three shot attempts of their 10 on the evening.
The win advances Messiah (21-1-1) to the section finals where they will play the winner of Franklin & Marshall College and Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology on Sunday at 5 p.m.
The loss ends the Lords' season, but not without having much to pride themselves on. Kenyon ends the season with an overall record of 16-5-3 and served as the North Coast Athletic Conference's longest-standing team in the NCAA Division III Tournament. With wins in their first two rounds over No. 19 Ohio Northern University and No. 8 Wheaton College, Kenyon advanced to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1996, a year it both defeated Messiah College in the regular season and then went on to become national runners-up. Their 16 wins also mark the most in a single season since 1996. They also house eight all-conference selections and the NCAC Newcomer of the Year in Tony Amolo.
