A shout out to the Falcon baseball team, which won their way into the World Series finals starting tomorrow. They were unranked all year, the only such team to make the final 8. To get this far, they had to beat #9 Salisbury, #1 JHU, and #4 Endicott (twice in a row). They run like crazy, forcing the defense to make plays and often getting extra bases on errors, bunts, and when guys throw to the wrong base. No Falcon baseball team has ever gotten anywhere near this far.

Messiah announces their schedule and incoming players. https://gomessiah.com/news/2025/5/13/mens-soccer-2025-schedule-and-incoming-class.aspx

Quote from: EnmoreCat on December 10, 2024, 06:21:18 PMThe Amherst players that can read, do also.

All three of them, in addition to your son?

Quote from: Hopkins92 on November 17, 2024, 08:26:32 PMFor the record, from a very neutral vantage, Messiah folks have been pretty objective and humble on this board. I've actually come to root for them, in large part because the supporters and fan base seem to be genuinely humble and straight-forward in their approach.

Much obliged, Hopkins02. Please let me say this about you: you're always honest, objective, humble, and well informed in your comments.

Quote from: PaulNewman on November 17, 2024, 08:28:41 PMOK, I guess you're not a homer and don't feel entitled.  I've got no interest in doing research on your behalf.  Interesting that you picked out my post when others thought you were ridiculous for asking for a red.  Also interesting because I gave a lot of praise to Messiah, how they competed, and said I was rooting for them. And they didn't lose because of that one play, 80 yards from where the goal was scored.

PN, we both know I'm a homer--and so are you. 

Others with more objectivity have said my call for a red card was unwarranted. I accept their view as more objective than mine, though nearly everyone agrees that play should have been called back (which is the heart of the matter). Given that neither team had scored for more than 100 minutes, it seems reasonable to conclude that the Falcons did lose because of that one play. What should have happened, by nearly all accounts, is that Messiah should have had a free kick from a fairly dangerous place. We can't know what would have followed, but there's no reason to believe that Williams would then have marched down the field and scored after stealing the ball.

Quote from: Dustin_Patrón on November 17, 2024, 03:53:15 PMThe ref had a great position and that "foul" looks like it belongs in an acting class. Williams scored the goal and won the game. Messiah didn't do nearly enough to deserve a result today.

Also, why are the messiah players always winners in life? Are the Williams players losers in life then? Not sure what you're getting at bird man.

Dustin,

I tried to reply to this about 20 minutes ago, before typing the reply to PN that you see above. For some reason my reply disappeared into cyberspace. So, let me try to reconstruct it.

I apologize for giving you the wrong impression. I certainly didn't mean to imply that the Williams players are "losers." I know I didn't say that, but I see why you might think I meant it anyway.

In fact, I added that as a final encouragement to the Falcon players, who must be feeling a bit down after the way the game ended on a bad non-call. I have several times in past seasons praised the Falcon players for their character and sportsmanship, using similar language. I don't recall if I did so earlier this year, but maybe I did somewhere. Anyway, it's well known here and elsewhere that Falcon opponents often credit them for class and sportsmanship, win or lose. The same can be said for many other D3 soccer teams; I only wish it could be said of every single one. As was pointed out above by a Falcon alum (in another sport), that's really the whole point of having IC sports at Messiah: to teach young men and women how to respond to what life throws at them. If character building weren't the heart and soul of athletics at Messiah, then Messiah would not sponsor any teams. That's really true. And, I am sure it's really true in many other places. (We're on the same page, Blooter.)

So, Dustin, no offense intended. If I had meant to offend, I'd have done so directly and without any ambiguity. A few times I have done that here and I don't regret those occasions, since I spoke the truth as I saw it. Still, I apologize for the lack of clarity in this instance.

PN says, [/quote]
So many life and faith lessons, and yet an awful lot of entitlement about winning comes with Messiah.  Not sure I've ever seen a totally clean pro-Messiah post accepting a loss in a genuinely gracious way...would have, should have, wanted to give full credit but somehow there's always a reason convenient enough or manufactured not to do so.  I do agree, though, that Messiah produces outstanding young men and women...and I was rooting hard for the Falcons today.
[/quote]
PN, I'm surprised to hear this from you, since we've both been here a long time. 

I have no idea where comments from past years are found, but if you can find them, you will see me giving unqualified congratulations to ONU last fall and to many other teams who've beaten the Falcons in past seasons, including in regular season games. Call that a little challenge. :-)

This season, for example, you will find me giving high praise to Dickinson for finally defeating the Falcons, after failing to get a single result in 40 previous contests. Indeed, a few more times I repeated my opinion that this year's version of the Red Devils is the best one I've ever seen. If that constitutes entitlement, then we apparently have different definitions of that word.

Likewise, I have often stated quite honestly what the Falcons' problems were early in the season. I said they weren't up to snuff and offered my analysis of the reasons--including a point about not having as much talent as they have had recently. Did that constitute entitlement? Or, simply a fair assessment of the facts?

And--going way back, but you and I both go that far back, before this board even existed. I said often in the previous decade that the Falcons didn't deserve the 2010 nattie, because there was a huge uncalled foul that gave the Falcons an undeserved game-tying goal in the last few seconds of regulation. They then won in OT. But, that season, Lynchburg was in my mind the true national champion. They got robbed. Was that more entitlement? Since I've said that repeatedly, it doesn't sound like entitlement simply to say that a huge uncalled foul cost the Falcons the game today. That's just a fact. Not entitlement.

Quote from: boomer on November 17, 2024, 03:33:26 PM

Quote from: GKForverr1 on November 17, 2024, 03:27:58 PMFor those who come looking later here is that moment clipped

https://youtube.com/shorts/5RwWHZTKJVw?si=1PRuRMGE9kZGmzUA

certainly a foul

In real time it was unquestionably a foul that led directly to the GW.

On the replay, it looks to my biased eyes that the Williams player directly, intentionally threw either an elbow or his shoulder, or both, into the Messiah player, who stayed down. In other words, it should have been a straight red. As others have asked above, how could that play not be whistled? I hope the main official is not allowed to officiate again in this tournament. It's incredible, isn't it?

If the game hadn't ended this way, I wouldn't hesitate to congratulate Williams. They were every bit as good as Messiah, though not better. I expected PKs and hoped for a different result from 2022. But this one leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

If anyone thinks I'm just being a homer (I am certainly a homer), please tell me what I'm missing.

This was a tough way to lose.

On the other hand, the Messiah players are always winners. In life. That's what matters most. If not, then let's cash it in and forget sports altogether.

Trinity-Bowdoin starting to resemble Messiah-Albright. The Maine men are just standing around, watching spectacular plays.

Trinity is putting on a clinic in offensive soccer. Bowdoin is lucky not to be trailing by 6.

Quote from: pinball on November 12, 2024, 04:11:51 PMI watched both games for York/Messiah - definitely could feel and tell the despair at the conclusion of Sunday's game for York.  I was completely unimpressed the first time they played as I was expecting more of a match but it was like York just sat back and took a beating.

Sunday's match was more competitive but it was still not really close.  York's goal came from a handball in the box that was an unlucky bounce straight up hitting the Messiah defenders arm.  (Well slotted PK though - with a run-up).  They really didn't create many chances at all, and didn't have the ball much.

They were better than Lancaster Bible, and Widener and that's where they missed out.

That York PK was their only Shot (not just their only SOG) the entire game.

Messiah dominated York for 180 minutes this fall. No question that this year's Falcons are better than this year's Spartans, no question at all. Maybe if they played early in the season, York would have gotten a result.

York's fate (in which I take no pleasure) reminds me of a few times when Etown lost twice to Messiah, once in the regular season and once in the conference tournament, and then failed to get a bid. In those days, it wasn't uncommon for the tournament to pencil in Etown vs Messiah in (say) round three. I think at least once, Etown lost 3 times to Messiah in one season. Of course they are no longer in the same conference.

Quote from: Mr_November on November 12, 2024, 10:04:52 AMWilliams vs Messiah - Historical View (3 meetings)
2009 - Messiah 2-1 Williams (NCAA Final Four)
2013 - Messiah 4-0 Williams (NCAA Final Four)
2022 - Messiah 0-0 Williams*(NCAA First Round)

Wiliams win 4-3 on PKs

To which can be added:

1993 - Williams 3-1 Messiah (NCAA Round Three)
2006 - Williams 0-0 Messiah (NCAA Sweet Sixteen), Messiah wins 4-2 in PKs. Both teams were stacked, among their greatest teams ever. The Falcon GK Dustin Shambach (https://vwuathletics.com/sports/mens-soccer/roster/coaches/dustin-shambach/50) was arguably the best Falcon keeper ever. He kept the Falcons in the game, at one point saving a point-blank header that everyone had already put down as a goal.

Massey has messiah in top 25 which is about right. They are playing higher than that at this point in the season. If they hold firm vs York this weekend, then any team looking forward to drawing them in the tournament is in for a most unpleasant surprise.

Quote from: paclassic89 on October 30, 2024, 12:10:14 PMFrom a purely stats pov, probably either Saul Iwowo or Ethan Jarden from Dickinson

As I said after watching Dickinson defeat Messiah, 2-1, for the first time ever in more than 40 contests: this is the best Dickinson team I've ever seen. Nothing since then gives me pause.

And, since I've been watching such games since the 1980s, usually in Grantham but sometimes in Carlisle, I've probably seen more Dickinson teams than anyone else here. Obviously, that doesn't "prove" my opinion, but I probably have as much right to it as anyone else, including longtime Dickinson fans unless their visual experience goes back equally far.

The York team Messiah beat last evening started 6 or 7 players who are SR or 5Y, more in the latter category. I hadn't realized that prior to the introductions. In other words, if they are going to go far any time soon, it has to be this year. I expect that level of experience is more than anything else responsible for their record thus far.

Messiah leads unbeaten York, 3-0, at the half. The game is not as close as the score. This is the unquestionably the best the Falcons have played in 11 months. Total domination on both ends. York has one great shot, a rocket from outside the box right at the keeper. Otherwise they've struggled to generate chances. Messiah could very well have six goals. I don't exaggerate.

I hope York is actually as good as their excellent record. If so, then the Falcons have righted the ship. Even if not, they're playing beautiful soccer again.