It was the second year that the Division III men's and women's championships had been contested at a common site.

The Falcon men benefited from Ryan Edwards' presence of mind in the 69th minute of a scoreless contest. "I was able to recognize where I was in relation to the defenders," Edwards said of the shot he converted after teammate Bryan Mohney got him the ball deep in Gustavus Adolphus territory. "Once Bryan got the ball to me it was a pretty easy and short finish."

The goal was Edwards' 10th of the year and preserved the Falcons' 29-game winning streak. The championship was Messiah's second straight and fourth in the past six seasons.

"Every year and each team is different," said Messiah coach Dave Brandt. "This team had great chemistry and leadership."

Gustavus Adolphus was vying for its first title. Gusties head coach Larry Zelenz lamented the fact that his team couldn't convert scoring chances early in the contest.

"We missed chances in the first half. Had we converted, the story could've been different," he said. "But (the Messiah team) is one of the best teams in a long time. They deserve all the credit."

The Gusties finished the season at 17-3-5. Messiah completed a perfect 24-0 slate.

The Falcons eased past Plattsburgh State, 4-0, in the semifinals to advance to the championship game. Edwards also tallied in that game, and Kai Kasiguran scored twice.

Gustavus Adolphus advanced to its first title game with a 2-1 semifinal win over Whitworth. Sophomore Jeffrey Johnson scored the game-winner with 15 minutes to play in regulation.

Kasiguran was named the most outstanding player of the tournament. Messiah's Mohney, Chris Classen and Patrick Lenehan joined him on the all-tournament team.

"Our coaches prepared us well this year," Mohney said. "With our winning streak, we had to keep our focus for every game. We kept challenging ourselves all season."

Gustavus Adolphus placed Jonathan Astray, Jordan Iblings and Bobby Kroog on the all-tournament team. Also selected were Jonathan Carlson and Ali Seyedali of Whitworth, and Alex Deckert and Jason Sousa of Plattsburgh State.

Sectionals

At Messiah -- Messiah 5, Maryville (Tenn.) 0; TCNJ 3, New Jersey City 2; Messiah 3, TCNJ 0.

At Plattsburgh St. -- Williams 3, St. Lawrence 0; Plattsburgh St. 1, Western New Eng. 0; Plattsburgh St. 1, Williams 0.

At Calvin -- Fredonia St. 0, Calvin 0 (2 ot) (Fredonia St. advances on penalty kicks, 3-2); Gust. Adolphus 3, Loras 0; Gust. Adolphus 2, Fredonia St. 0.

At Whitworth -- Trinity (Tex.) 3, Stevens Institute 1; Whitworth 3, Wartburg 0; Whitworth 2, Trinity (Tex.) 1 (ot).

Semifinals

First half: GA -- Alex Groth (Jordan Iblings), 10:27; W -- Skye Henderson (Sean Lambrecht), 24:23.

Second half: GA -- Jeffrey Johnson (unassisted), 75:12.

Shots: Gustavus Adolphus 9, Whitworth 7. Goalkeeper saves: Gustavus Adolphus (Tyler Garry) 2, Whitworth (Kevin Bostock) 0. Corners: Gustavus Adolphus 2, Whitworth 8.

First half: M -- Kai Kasiguran (David McClellan), 10:43.

Second half: M -- Kasiguran (Patrick Lenehan), 48:17; M -- David McClellan (penalty kick), 53:40; M -- Ryan Edwards (unassisted), 69:09.

Shots: Plattsburgh St. 6, Messiah 23. Goalkeeper saves: Plattsburgh St. (Zach Manning) 6, Messiah (Dustin Shambach) 4. Corners: Plattsburgh St. 2, Messiah 7.

Championship game

Second half: M -- Ryan Edwards (Bryan Mohney), 68:52.

Shots: Gustavus Adolphus 6, Messiah 7. Goalkeeper saves: Gustavus Adolphus (Tyler Garry) 4, Messiah (Dustin Shambach ) 2. Corners: Gustavus Adolphus 2, Messiah 6.