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GRANTHAM, Pa. -- After a thrilling back-and-forth battle in the NCAA Division III Men's Soccer Championship Second Round, the 21st-ranked Christopher Newport Captains were eliminated in a 2-0 loss to No. 4 Messiah College on Sunday night. A first half goal in the 36th minute was enough for the Falcons, though the home team had to escape in a wild finish that saw CNU raise the level through tough circumstances.

The Captains conclude the season with an 18-3-1 overall record, while Messiah remained unbeaten with a 19-0-3 record following the close game, and will advance to play in the NCAA Sectional Round next weekend.

Carrying a 1-0 lead into the final 20 minutes, Messiah gained a huge advantage when a second yellow card for senior defender Sammy Blosser saw the Captain disqualified for the remainder of the contest. The ejection sent a jolt of energy through the Captains' attack, as the level was raised as CNU sought the coveted equalizing goal. 

Just minutes after Blosser's red card, the Captains worked down the offensive end of the field through their senior leader, Jimmy Grace. The 2016 CAC Player of the Year diced through three defenders before plunging into the box and looking for a shot. Before he could connect, however, a defender tackled through his legs and sent Grace to the turf on a whistle, awarding the Captains a penalty kick. After a PK goal on Saturday, Grace was 4-for-4 on the season and stepped in to potentially tie the game with his fifth of the season. On the attempt, however, Messiah goalkeeper Connor Bell made a diving save off of the tips of his toes, sending the ball skyward back toward Grace. On the second attempt, the CNU senior powered a header toward the goal, but again Bell made the save to hold up the shutout. 

The wild action continued into the 82nd minute when sophomore defender Bobby Seifert was sent off with the Captains' second red card in a 13-minute stretch. Now playing down two, the CNU defense could not hold the powerful Messiah offense, as the Falcons scored an insurance tally just two minutes later. Colby Thomas converted on the open net after Samuel Ruiz Plaza and Kirby Robbins passed around CNU goalkeeper Zach Pedini, who was forced to come out and play the ball on a 3 versus 1 situation. 

Even down two goals, the Captains' showed no quit, forcing Bell to make two more saves on point blank attempts in the box to secure his clean sheet. Stephen Durbin pressured him once in a crowded box after a free kick, and Daniel Zeitoun ripped a rebound toward the left side in the 86th minute, but the Messiah keeper stopped both. 

The battle between two of the nation's top-ranked teams was played primarily in the midfield, with both teams coming up with limited quality chances. CNU outshot the Falcons, 13-11, with six shots on-goal to Messiah's five. 

In the first half, the Captains controlled a lot of the play going forward, getting multiple shots up against the Messiah defense. In the 15th minute, Andrew Gogolin made a nice play on the sideline to get by a defender and slipped a pass inside for Durbin, but the ball bounced just too far away from the Captain for a shot inside the box. Then, with 10 minutes remaining in the opening stanza, Hunter Johnson lifted a beautiful ball into the box for Durbin, who slammed a hard shot on net from about ten yards out, but the Messiah keeper smothered the attempt. 

On the very next trip down the other side of the field, Messiah converted on the eventual gamewinner. David Alejos slid a pass into the box through traffic, where defender Jacob Bender turned and fired into to the left side of the goal. 

The 10th NCAA Tournament appearance in program history ends in the second round, marking the sixth time since 2006 that CNU has won at least one game in the postseason tournament. Head coach Steve Shaw is now 12-7-4 all-time in the NCAA Tournament, with nine appearances in his 21-year career. 

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