Box Score
Glassboro, NJ ...  The College of New Jersey men's soccer team went toe-to-toe with the defending national champion, but came up just shy as they were edged 2-1 by Messiah College at the Glimore Alumni Classic hosted by Rowan University.

Sophomore Clayton Flon (Oakland, NJ/Indian Hills) gave the Lions an early 1-0 lead when he scored just over four minutes into the game. He pounced on a rebound off his own shot and deposited it into the back of the net to stake TCNJ with a one-goal advantage.

The Falcons quickly responded as Bryant Meyer knocked a restart between the posts from 25 yards out just over a minute later.

Lion goalkeeper Maciej Libucha (Woodland Park, NJ/Passaic Valley) made six stops in the opening period to keep the match tied at 1-1.

In the 69th minute, Danny Brandt took a serve from Jeremy Payne and found the back of the net, which turned out to be the game-winner.

Libucha finished with a career-high 12 saves in the game.

TCNJ will be back on the pitch tomorrow when they take on Elizabethtown College at 5 p.m. The Blue Jays defeated Rowan 2-1 in the nightcap.