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MEN’S SOCCER WINS 11TH NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP FALCONS’ STORY OF EXCELLENCE CONTINUES WITH ANOTHER WIN
GRANT HALVERSON/NCAA PHOTOS VIA GETTY IMAGES
For the 11th time in program history, Messiah men’s soccer qualified for the NCAA Division III National Championship, and for the 11th time they came home as champions. The Falcons faced three separate deficits in Final Four games—twice in the second half of the semifinal and 72 seconds into the final— but rallied each time to earn historic victories. In the semifinal, a 3-2 double-overtime win over Brandeis, Messiah faced two deficits in an NCAA postseason game for the first time in program history—a collection of more than 100 games. Each time Messiah came back, and Justin Brautigam’s golden goal in the 105’ sent Messiah to the title game.
“WE TALK ABOUT EVERY GAME BEING A ‘BIG GAME.’” — Nick West ’18
Messiah players battle for a header at the Division III Men’s Soccer Championship held at UNC Greensboro Soccer Stadium Dec. 2, 2017, in Greensboro, N.C. Messiah College defeated North Park University 2-1 to win the national title.
10 | WINTER 2018 • THE BRIDGE • MESSIAH COLLEGE
In the final, North Park scored early in the second minute, but Brautigam headed through the equalizer less than four minutes later. The winning goal came just before the halftime horn, with Ben Haines ’19 sending through his first career goal to give
Messiah the lead. For the Falcons, the win was a pinnacle of the season, but it was also the result of a long and cherished process. “Coming to the National Championship is something that every team wants to do, but it’s not something that’s tangible ... throughout your season,” said Nick West ’18. “So, we talk about every game being a ‘big game,’ and something that’s cool about Messiah is the way we train and how we get better and better as the year goes on. It’s awesome to see it through the whole way and for us to play with each other through the final weekend.” Head Coach Brad McCarty, who has now won five national titles since taking over the program in 2009, echoed West’s sentiment. “This is great. Don’t get me wrong. But championships are about success, and we’re more interested in excellence,” said McCarty. “We just want to do the little things really well. We want to be intentional about who we bring into the program, and we want them to care about one another. We want guys that care about their faith, and so that pursuit of excellence, that pursuit of little details—you build that up over time, and there’s times you get to bump up against success.” Messiah’s 11 national titles are the most in Division III history, and the record is second only to the University of North Carolina women’s program (21) for the most in all of NCAA men’s or women’s soccer. —S teve King, senior associate director of athletics