FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
S-032-07-08
Thursday, October 25, 2007

Elizabethtown to Host Messiah in Men's Soccer Showdown

ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. --- The Elizabethtown College men's soccer team will host archrival Messiah College on Saturday at 2:00 p.m. at Ira R. Herr Field.

The Blue Jays (13-4 overall, 3-1 Commonwealth) carry a 13-game home winning streak into the match against the Falcons (15-2 overall, 4-0 Commonwealth), who have won each of the last three NCAA Division III championships.

Messiah, ranked fourth in this week's National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Division III poll, holds a 23-17-2 edge in the all-time series, which began in 1980 and has evolved into one of the fiercest rivalries in the nation. The Falcons have not lost at Elizabethtown since 1994, winning six and tying one over that span.

Elizabethtown won the most recent meeting between the squads, posting a 1-0 win at Messiah in the Commonwealth Conference semifinals last Oct. 31 on a goal by Michael Terry in the fifth minute.

The winner of Saturday's match will earn the top seed in next week's Commonwealth Conference playoffs. The Blue Jays and Falcons have combined to win 15 of the last 16 conference championships.

Admission is free to Saturday's match, and the gates to Ira R. Herr Field will be opened at 12:30 p.m. The match will also air live on WWEC-FM (88.3) in Elizabethtown and WVMM-FM (90.7) in Grantham.