GRANTHAM, PA – The top-ranked Messiah College men’s soccer team escaped with a 1-0 victory over the Stevens Institute of Technology Thursday night at Shoemaker Field in Grantham, PA. The Ducks fall to 2-3-2, while the Falcons remain undefeated at 6-0.

Andre Burkhart of Messiah scored an unassisted goal in the 11th minute to give the Falcons the lead early.

Stevens scored the apparent equalizer shortly after the Messiah goal, but the officials ruled the Ducks offsides and the score was nullified.

Messiah held off a hard-charging Stevens squad late to preserve the victory.

The Falcons outshot Stevens, 19-7, holding a 5-2 edge in corner kicks. Junior Chris Celentano (Newton, NJ) had a season-high nine saves for Stevens, while Dustin Shambach made three stops for Messiah. 

Thursday’s match ended a six-game road swing for the Ducks, who have not played in front of their home crowd since their season opener against Arcadia, Sept. 1. Stevens will open Skyline Conference play against New York Maritime College Saturday, Sept. 24, at 4 p.m. at DeBaun Field in Hoboken, NJ, as part of Stevens’ day-long Homecoming festivities.