Messiah tallied twice in the first 30 minutes and made it stand for a 2-0 blanking of Rowan in the Division III Men's Soccer Championship game at Rowan. It was the Falcons' first NCAA team championship in any sport.

Senior midfielder Mark Bassett put the champions on target when he redirected Troy Sauer's indirect kick into the net for his third goal of the season just 13 minutes after the kickoff.

"I got to the ball before the keeper," said Bassett. "It was my job to get there first."

Messiah added a second score when Greg Giordano stole the ball in the Rowan zone and dribbled into the penalty area. He then found forward Mark Ackley, who pistoled a shot past Profs goalkeeper Ryan Dixon and into the net.

The Falcons won their final 17 games of the season to finish 22-2-1. Rowan had its 17-game win streak snapped and concluded 24-2. The loss also was Rowan's only home setback this season.

"We played with discipline and, of course, the early goal was the key," said Messiah head coach Dave Brandt. "History has shown it is hard to win on the (opponent's) home field and that makes this even sweeter."

Home teams are now 11-8 in the 27-year history of the championship game.

Messiah fired a dozen shots to Rowan's 17. But in the Falcons' net, Chris Boyles stopped nine attempts for his eighth shutout. Dixon was in the Rowan net for the first half before Dan McGinn took over to make four saves in the second half.

In the semifinals, Messiah rallied from a 2-0 halftime deficit with three goals in the first 15 minutes of the second half to clip previously undefeated Linfield, 3-2. Rowan stopped Wisconsin-Oshkosh, 2-0.

Messiah's best previous soccer finish was two national semifinal appearances, most recently in 1988. The Falcons' only previous NCAA championship of any kind was won at the 2000 Division III Wrestling Championships when Mike Helm captured the 157-pound weight class.

Quarterfinals

Rowan 2, Williams 1; Wis.-Oshkosh 4, Chris. Newport 1; Messiah 3, Hamilton 0; Linfield 1, Ohio Wesleyan 0 (4 ot).

Semifinals

Second half: R -- John Sroka (Fred Wetzel), 46:15; R -- Bjoernar Froehaug (Shane Larkin, Sroka), 67:59.

Shots: Wis.-Oshkosh 8, Rowan 9. Goalkeeper saves: Wis.-Oshkosh (Rich Plier) 3, Rowan (Ryan Dixon) 4. Corner kicks: Wis.-Oshkosh 3, Rowan 2.

First half: L -- Chris McDonald (Jake Riley), 4:25; L -- McDonald, 25:23.

Second half: M -- Hayden Woodworth (penalty kick), 55:23; M -- Aaron Faro (penalty kick), 57:08; M -- Woodworth (Faro), 59:16.

Shots: Linfield 14, Messiah 17. Goalkeeper saves: Linfield (Luke Voiles 4, Phil Haines 6) 10, Messiah (Chris Boyles) 4. Corner kicks: Linfield 3, Messiah 3.

Championship

First half: M -- Mark Bassett (Troy Sauer), 12:54; M -- Mark Ackley (Greg Giordano), 27:13.

Shots: Messiah 12, Rowan 17. Goalkeeper saves: Messiah (Chris Boyles) 9, Rowan (Ryan Dixon 0, Dan McGinn 4) 4. Corner kicks: Messiah 8, Rowan 4.