WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. – Sophomore Drew Collins (Victor, N.Y./Victor) scored with 1:31 left to bring the Lycoming College men's lacrosse team within a goal and Lycoming forced a turnover off the faceoff, but Messiah College was able to hold on for an 11-9 MAC Commonwealth game in a clash of first-place teams at the Shangraw Athletic Complex on Saturday, April 7.
 
Junior Andrew Ream (Pittsburgh, Pa./Fox Chapel) finished with four goals and an assist and Collins added three goals and an assist to lead the Warriors (6-4 overall, 2-1 MAC Commonwealth). Junior Travis Rode (Kinnelon, N.J./Kinnelon) and sophomore Tyler Thompson (Napean, Ontario/Mother Teresa) each had two assists.
 
The Warriors tied the game off a score from Ream off a dish from Collins with 8:41 left. Messiah (6-4 overall, 3-0 MAC Commonwealth) scored two in a row, though, to take a 10-8 lead with 3:02 left. The Warriors responded though, as Rode looked inside and found Collins, who fired high with 91 ticks remaining.
  Off the faceoff, the Warriors forced a turnover, but the Falcons did the same, and were able to score once again to seal the win.
 
The game featured two lead changes and three ties, with neither team getting more than a two-goal advantage throughout, which made three Messiah man-up goals and two Lycoming man-up strikes all the more important.
 
Messiah opened the game with two goals in the first three minutes, but Ream brought the Warriors back, scoring twice late in the first quarter. Lycoming continued its run, with senior Garrett Huff (Corning, N.Y./Corning-Painted Post West) on a creative isolation goal. Sophomore Aidan Kirkendall (Shrewsbury, Pa./Susquehannock) followed with a man-up goal to give the Warriors a 4-2 lead with 9:03 left, but Messiah responded to tie it before the break.
 
In the third quarter, Messiah scored three man-up goals in the opening eight minutes to take a 7-5 advantage. The Warriors fought back, though, with Collins scoring twice and Ream adding two more goals, the second with 8:41 left to tie it at eight and set up the dramatic concluding moments.
 
Junior Cole Masterson (Honeoye Falls, N.Y./Honeoye Falls-Lima) picked up five groundballs and caused three turnovers and junior Alex Artur (Cinnaminson, N.J./Cinnaminson) also caused three turnovers and picked up three groundballs. Ream also scooped up five of Lycoming's 30 groundballs.
 
Joseph Franken led Messiah with three goals and two assists and Hunter Bellows added three goals an an assist. Lucas Honebrink won 14-of-22 faceoffs and led the Falcons with seven groundballs. Quentin Johnson had four caused turnovers and three groundballs.
 
Junior Michael Tenant (Baltimore, Md./Calvert Hall) stopped eight shots for Lycoming, including the 350^th save of his career. Evan Stoker stopped nine shots for the Falcons.
 
The Warriors get back on the field on Tuesday, April 10, when they host Stevenson University in MAC Commonwealth action at 3:30 p.m. at the Shangraw Athletic Complex.