Post-Game Interview
The Basics
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Score: #1 Messiah-2, #25 Johns Hopkins-0
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Records: JHU (13-5-2) • MC (17-0-3)
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Location: Grantham, PA • Shoemaker Field
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The Short Story: Top-ranked Messiah scored once in each half and held 25
th-ranked Johns Hopkins off the board as the Falcons topped the Blue Jays, 2-0, in the second round of the 2018 NCAA Men's Soccer Tournament Sunday afternoon.
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How it Happened
• The Blue Jays controlled play early in the game and produced three of the first four shots in the game and the first corner kick, but the Falcons kept the sheet clean as the game drifted past the 20-minute mark.
• It would be a double header that would get the Falcons on the board in the 23
rd minute as senior Nick West scored the first of his two goals in the game. Junior Brit Haseltine headed the ball forward in the box and West headed it down and just inside the post past Blue Jay goalie
Xander LeFevre.
• The 1-0 score held through halftime and into the 51
st minute before West gave the Falcons the breathing room they needed. He dribbled past a defender and worked his way past LeFevre to score his 26
th goal of the season.
• Johns Hopkins, which held a 9-7 advantage in shots on the day, produced several dangerous situations in the final 35 minutes, including a
Liam Creedon rip from 20 yards out that handcuffed Messiah goalie Connor Bell, but the Blue Jays couldn't put one home as the Falcon defense tightened down the stretch when the Blue Jays penetrated the final third to keep them off the board.
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What it Means
• Johns Hopkins is now 17-15-7 all-time in the NCAA Tournament.
• The Blue Jays have advanced to at least the second round of the tournament in all five of their appearances under head coach
Craig Appleby.
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Inside the Box Score
• LeFevre finished with two saves in the loss for the Blue Jays while Bell made four for the Falcons.
• While there were plenty of scoring chances, statistically the game saw just the 16 shots and two corner kicks, which were evenly split at 1-1.
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