New York University's men's soccer team challenged second-ranked Messiah University on Saturday afternoon, falling 2-1 in Mechanicsburg, PA.

The Falcons jumped ahead just 21 seconds into the match when Matt McDonald scored off an assist from Ben Lefever. That was the lone tally of the first half as Messiah led 11-7 in shots during the opening 45 minutes.

Bryce Lexow provided the equalizer with an unassisted goal in the 56th minute for his team-leading sixth of the season. His strike was one of two NYU shots in the second half as the Violets' offense struggled to create chances the rest of the match.

McDonald was on the supporting end of the Falcons' game-winning goal, setting up Trevor Swartz to score with 15 minutes remaining.

Messiah led 19-9 in shots and 8-4 in corner kicks on the day. NYU goalkeeper Luca Mancuso posted six saves in defeat.

This was the second straight year that these two programs met as the Falcons collected a 2-1 win in last season's meeting as well.

The 2022 Violets fell to 3-3-1 on the season with today's loss.

Next up is NYU's University Athletic Association (UAA) opener at Carnegie Mellon University on Saturday, October 1, in Pittsburgh, PA.