Box Score

GRANTHAM, Pa. – For 40 minutes, Gettysburg College stayed within one goal of the National Soccer Coaches' Association of American's (NSCAA) fourth-ranked team, but host Messiah College erupted for four goals over a 12-minute span to pull away from the visiting Bullets. Gettysburg falls to 2-3 on the season, while the Falcons improve to 4-1.

Since dropping its season opener to now second-ranked Greensboro College, the three-time defending NCAA Division III champions have been on a tear, scoring 15 goals over the previous three matches. The Bullets came in undaunted, however, limiting Messiah to just one goal through the first 41 minutes.

In the 42nd minute, the Falcons upped their lead to 2-0 and carried that momentum into the opening minutes of the final period, netting three more goals over a span of 4:16. Mike Rinker assisted on two of those goals and capped the scoring with a score at 53:26.

After firing off just one shot in the opening stanza, Gettysburg managed four shots in the second period. The Bullets last effort to crack the scoring column came in the 65th minute when Geoff Menge's (Doylestown, Pa./Central Bucks West) shot was stopped by Jared Clugston.

Messiah out-shot Gettysburg 22-5 in the game and held the edge in corner kicks 7-3. Adam Finkel (Potomac, Md./Winston Churchill) made eight saves in goal for the visitors, while Matt Langston (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin East) did not see a shot on goal in his 26-minute relief appearance.

The Bullets return to action against Moravian College in a non-conference affair at Clark Field on Thursday, Sept. 13, at 7 p.m.