GRANTHAM, Pa. – Widener Men's soccer fought hard to secure a draw in their first conference game of the year against the Messiah University Falcons.

The Pride are now 1-6-3 on the season and 0-0-1 in conference play.

BY THE NUMBERS

• The Pride had 4 shots (3 on goal). The Falcons had 18 shots (7 on goal).
• Widener attempted 2 corner kicks while Messiah attempted 9.
• Tristan Willey finished the day with 7 saves in goals.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Messiah came out strong, earning several early corners, but goalkeeper Tristan Willey made key stops to keep the Falcons off the board. Widener's best look came in the 14th minute when Jordi Lopez forced the Messiah keeper into a save with a shot to the bottom center. The Pride defense absorbed consistent pressure through the half, with Bryce Deshaies later responding by testing Messiah from distance in the 41st minute. The teams went into halftime locked in a scoreless tie, with Willey's three first-half saves anchoring the Pride.

 

• After the half, Willey again came up big again registering four more saves in the frame to bring his total to seven. Offensively, Jordi Lopez and Ryan Toporowski registered Widener's second-half shots, with Toporowski's attempt in the 77th minute forcing another save from Messiah. Messiah hit the woodwork once and pushed forward in the closing minutes, but Widener's defense stood firm to secure the scoreless draw in Grantham, Pa.

UP NEXT
The Pride will return to Elizabeth J. Hirschmann Field on Saturday, October 11^th for a match against Hood College. Game time is set for 4:30 p.m.