GRANTHAM, PA – The York College men's soccer saw their bid to win a MAC Commonwealth championship fall just short as the Spartans dropped a 2-1 decision to top seeded Messiah on Saturday afternoon in Grantham.
The game was tied with six minutes left in regulation but the Falcons got the game winner and then hung on from there as they handed the Spartans just their second loss of the year.
The Falcons improve to 14-5-1 as they advance to the NCAA Tournament. The Spartans are now 14-2-5 as they cling to the hope they will have done enough to earn an NCAA tournament berth when the field is announced on Monday.
 
How It Happened
• The first half was lacking in offensive fireworks as neither team was able to get any significant offensive traction. The Falcons outshot the Spartans 5-0 but all five of those shot were off target.
• The Falcons broke through in the 60^th minute of play as Patrick Lee carried the ball down the right sideline. He turned the corner around the Spartan defender and unleashed a pass that found Sam Phillips all alone at the top of the box. Phillips finished off the chance inside the left post for the 1-0 lead.
• The Spartans responded just 31 seconds later as the Falcons were called for an infraction in the box which led to a penalty kick. Senior Matt Zeiders finished off the chance, tying the game at one with just over 29 minutes left in regulation.
• The Falcons had six shots over the next 20 minutes of play as Spartan goalie Jake Bono recorded four saves. Patrick Lee got the game winner with 5:43 left in regulation. Josh Bratage drove the ball down the middle of the field and fed a pass to Lee. Lee wound up and hit a shot that deflected off a Spartan defender and slipped past Bono who was heading to where the ball would have been had it not been redirected.
• The Spartans would be unable to get anything going in the final five minutes as they dropped their second game of the year to Messiah.
• Messiah held a 16-1 advantage in total shots including a 7-1 margin in shots on goal. The Falcons also held an 8-2 edge in corner kicks. Bono made five saves in goal for the Green and White.
 
Spartan Notes
The Spartans made their first conference championship appearance since 2013 when they won the Capital Athletic Conference title … York is now 7-5-1 all-time in conference championship matches … the Spartans had an incredible turnaround in 2024 as they finished the season with 14 wins, the most they have had since the 2013 squad won 19 matches … the Spartans' 14 wins were an eight game improvement over last year's six wins … York's two losses are the fewest since the 2009 team went 17-1-5 … senior Matt Zeiders recorded his second goal of the year and fifth of his career … the Spartans were held to a season-low one shot in the game … York allowed multiple goals for just the third time this year.
 
Up Next
The Spartans must now wait until Monday at 1:30 to find out their NCAA Tournament fate. The Spartans currently sit 27^th in the NPI with a number of conference championship games still to occur on Sunday. York has not advanced to the NCAA Tournament since 2013 and have not earned an at-large bid since the 2008 squad earned the bid.