Championship Central

WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. (Men’s Soccer) – The No. 1 Lycoming Warriors claimed their second MAC Commonwealth Men’s Soccer Championship with a 1-0 win over the No. 2 Messiah Falcons on Saturday.
 
The Warriors (16-1-2) now wait for the NCAA Division III selection show on Monday, Nov. 9, at 1:30 p.m. to see where they are selected in the 62-team field. The team, ranked third in the last NCAA Mid-Atlantic Region poll, also tied the school record for wins in a season, tying the mark set by the 16-5 1994 team.
 
Lycoming scored its golden goal in the 20^th minute, as junior Jordan Logan sent a cross from the left baseline into the right corner, where MAC Commonwealth Tournament MVP freshman Sainclair Tueno waited and kicked it into the right corner.
 
The Falcons (14-5-1) started out the game by keeping the ball in Lycoming’s attacking third for much of the opening minutes, as junior goalkeeper Josh Gildea was forced to make three saves in the first 17 minutes.
 
The Warriors nearly got another goal in the 56^th minute, as sophomore Kyle Thomas headed a shot high that Messiah keeper Connor Bell was able to corral.
 
The Falcons had several quality chances late in the game, pressuring with two shots and a corner, even hitting the crossbar in the 90^th minute, as Will Cochran took the ball out of a scrum and fired a shot high that hit the middle of the crossbar and came back into play.
 
Moments later, the Falcons earned a corner kick and the resulting header flew high, setting off the celebration for the more than 400 fans in attendance at the Shangraw Athletic Complex, as Lycoming won a conference championship on their home field for the first time.
 
Junior Josh Gildea stopped five shots as he posted his third straight shutout and the team’s 11^th of the year. Connor Bell notched three stops for the Falcons.
 
Lycoming earns the MAC Commonwealth’s automatic qualifier (AQ) to the NCAA Division III Championship. The field will be announced on Monday, Nov. 9 at 1:30 p.m. at www.NCAA.com.