Amazing Grace!?Lancers Are NCCAA Champions
November 22, 2020 at 11:02 p.m.
Amazing Grace!?Lancers Are NCCAA Champions
By Josh Neuhart-
Grace defeated Bethel 4-0 in the 2020 NCCAA national championship game on Saturday.
Felipe Gruber was the hero, scoring two first-half goals to give Grace a lead it would never relinquish.
The national championship is the fourth title in school history, joining men’s basketball (1992, NAIA), volleyball (1995, NCCAA) and women’s golf (2019, NCCAA).
The Lancers outclassed the Pilots (11-2-1) from start to finish. Grace’s possession wore down and eventually broke Bethel’s efforts, resulting in an emphatic 4-0 shutout in the national championship.
Saturday’s win caps off a whirlwind postseason journey for the Lancers (9-4-2). Grace played seven postseason matches since Nov. 7 (15-day span), including the Crossroads League Tournament. The Lancers won six of those seven games and only lost the CL championship in double overtime.
Ulisses Miranda was named the NCCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player. Miranda had five goals and three assists in the four NCCAA Tournament games.
Miranda went on a tear in Grace’s seven postseason games; he scored a goal in all seven postseason matches, finishing with nine goals and four assists in those contests.
Joe Bowles and Ze Maria Goncalves joined Miranda on the NCCAA All-Tournament Team. Bowles made six saves in Saturday’s championship game to record the shutout. He recorded back-to-back clean sheets in the NCCAA semifinal and title games.
Goncalves had five assists in Grace’s NCCAA run, including the game-winning assist in the Lancers’ 1-0 semifinal win.
Grace began the game by building its possession. The Lancers moved the ball well against the Pilots and took the only shot attempt of the first 10 minutes.
Bethel did not register a shot until the 13th minute of play.
The Lancers broke through minutes later. Miranda led a quick attack, somehow pirouetting around multiple defenders and found Gruber in space in the penalty box. Gruber took care of the rest, slicing his shot above the goalkeeper for a 1-0 lead.
With 13 minutes left in the half, Jules Peycelon tried a deep shot that was saved with a desperate stab by the goalkeeper.
On the ensuing corner kick, Grace went ahead by two. A cross went to Gruber, who kept the ball under pressure and blasted his shot above the goalkeeper to stun the Pilots.
The Lancers went into halftime ahead 2-0, holding the majority of possession and threatening chances.
With 28 minutes remaining, the lead ballooned to 3-0. Tyler Brueckman and Blake Burns combined to advance the ball into Bethel’s end of the field.
The play ended up with Cedric Brenneman, who took aim from distance. Brenneman’s shot snuck past the goalie and rolled into the back of the net, which seemed to visibly dampen Bethel’s spirits.
The fourth and final goal was a hustle play from Miranda. The senior put himself in position for a loose ball in the penalty box, calmly collecting the ball and passing it into an empty net.
The Lancers limited the Pilots over the final minutes, keeping Bethel off the scoreboard. The team sprinted onto the field in celebration as the clock expired, officially dubbing Grace as NCCAA national champions.
Grace’s fall season wraps up on a high note, but the Lancers will continue play in the spring with the schedule to be announced.
Women loses title game in 2OT
KISSIMMEE, Fla. - Grace’s women’s soccer team came agonizingly close to claiming a national championship on Saturday.
The Lady Lancers fell 2-1 to Dallas Baptist in the 2020 NCCAA national championship game on Saturday, losing with five minutes remaining in double overtime.
The Lady Lancers were facing a stiff test in the title bout; DBU has reached the NCAA Div. II national tournament for six consecutive years. The Patriots dropped into the NCCAA this fall due to uncertainties in the NCAA ranks due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Last year DBU reached the NCAA DII Sweet Sixteen.
Grace lost the game despite holding a 1-0 lead at halftime.
The Lady Lancers (10-4-1) stunned the Patriots (4-0) with an early goal. Alexis Larimore split the defender’s legs with a pass to JJ Aalbue, who in turn crossed a pass into the middle of the penalty box.
Lea Moessinger connected with Aalbue’s cross, tucking a one-time volley into the bottom-right corner of the net. Grace’s goal came 91 seconds into the match.
Larimore nearly made the score 2-0 a few minutes later, but her shot whizzed just above the crossbar.
Dallas Baptist tried to find an equalizer and nearly did in the sixth minute. Erin Crew blocked a potential game-tying shot in front of goal.
A few minutes later, Anna Kuhl found herself open in the box after a corner kick, but her header was saved.
Midway into the half, the Patriots almost scored again. Bethany Blackwood made a 1v1 save from close range, however, to preserve Grace’s lead.
Grace went into halftime still ahead 1-0. The Patriots held a slight 7-4 edge in shot attempts.
Grace’s lead evaporated almost immediately after halftime. DBU marched down the field after the kickoff, scoring 33 seconds into the second half to level the score 1-1.
The Lady Lancers pressed for the lead with 28 minutes remaining, but Aalbue’s low shot was pushed wide by the diving goalkeeper.
Three minutes later, Grace looked to score again. Taylor Binkerd intercepted a pass from DBU’s goalkeeper and had a 1v1 opportunity, but the Patriots’ goalkeeper made a stout save to snuff out Binkerd’s chance.
The play was replicated with 11 minutes on the clock. Helena Vieira Rijo stole a pass and found herself alone with the DBU goalkeeper, but Rijo’s shot sailed above the goal.
Grace seemed the stronger side as regulation started to wind down. The Lady Lancers earned a free kick in the final minute, but the Patriots denied the chance.
In the last second of regulation, Aalbue almost won the championship in spectacular fashion. The sophomore tried a long, right-footed shot which beat the goalkeeper but glanced harmlessly off the crossbar. The game headed to overtime.
Neither team could score in the first overtime session, although not for lack of trying. DBU had the better opportunities in the first part of the period, but Grace seemed stronger as the period ended.
Early in the second OT, Grace had a deep free kick. Brooke Kohler won a header on the set piece, but her effort went wide of the goal frame.
Two minutes later, DBU won the title. The Patriots crossed from the left side of the field and managed to squeeze a shot through a crowded penalty box into the back of the net.
Grace’s season is far from finished, however. While the fall season will end, Grace will continue to play in the spring. The Lady Lancers will play nonconference games as well as potentially the NAIA National Championships.
Grace defeated Bethel 4-0 in the 2020 NCCAA national championship game on Saturday.
Felipe Gruber was the hero, scoring two first-half goals to give Grace a lead it would never relinquish.
The national championship is the fourth title in school history, joining men’s basketball (1992, NAIA), volleyball (1995, NCCAA) and women’s golf (2019, NCCAA).
The Lancers outclassed the Pilots (11-2-1) from start to finish. Grace’s possession wore down and eventually broke Bethel’s efforts, resulting in an emphatic 4-0 shutout in the national championship.
Saturday’s win caps off a whirlwind postseason journey for the Lancers (9-4-2). Grace played seven postseason matches since Nov. 7 (15-day span), including the Crossroads League Tournament. The Lancers won six of those seven games and only lost the CL championship in double overtime.
Ulisses Miranda was named the NCCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player. Miranda had five goals and three assists in the four NCCAA Tournament games.
Miranda went on a tear in Grace’s seven postseason games; he scored a goal in all seven postseason matches, finishing with nine goals and four assists in those contests.
Joe Bowles and Ze Maria Goncalves joined Miranda on the NCCAA All-Tournament Team. Bowles made six saves in Saturday’s championship game to record the shutout. He recorded back-to-back clean sheets in the NCCAA semifinal and title games.
Goncalves had five assists in Grace’s NCCAA run, including the game-winning assist in the Lancers’ 1-0 semifinal win.
Grace began the game by building its possession. The Lancers moved the ball well against the Pilots and took the only shot attempt of the first 10 minutes.
Bethel did not register a shot until the 13th minute of play.
The Lancers broke through minutes later. Miranda led a quick attack, somehow pirouetting around multiple defenders and found Gruber in space in the penalty box. Gruber took care of the rest, slicing his shot above the goalkeeper for a 1-0 lead.
With 13 minutes left in the half, Jules Peycelon tried a deep shot that was saved with a desperate stab by the goalkeeper.
On the ensuing corner kick, Grace went ahead by two. A cross went to Gruber, who kept the ball under pressure and blasted his shot above the goalkeeper to stun the Pilots.
The Lancers went into halftime ahead 2-0, holding the majority of possession and threatening chances.
With 28 minutes remaining, the lead ballooned to 3-0. Tyler Brueckman and Blake Burns combined to advance the ball into Bethel’s end of the field.
The play ended up with Cedric Brenneman, who took aim from distance. Brenneman’s shot snuck past the goalie and rolled into the back of the net, which seemed to visibly dampen Bethel’s spirits.
The fourth and final goal was a hustle play from Miranda. The senior put himself in position for a loose ball in the penalty box, calmly collecting the ball and passing it into an empty net.
The Lancers limited the Pilots over the final minutes, keeping Bethel off the scoreboard. The team sprinted onto the field in celebration as the clock expired, officially dubbing Grace as NCCAA national champions.
Grace’s fall season wraps up on a high note, but the Lancers will continue play in the spring with the schedule to be announced.
Women loses title game in 2OT
KISSIMMEE, Fla. - Grace’s women’s soccer team came agonizingly close to claiming a national championship on Saturday.
The Lady Lancers fell 2-1 to Dallas Baptist in the 2020 NCCAA national championship game on Saturday, losing with five minutes remaining in double overtime.
The Lady Lancers were facing a stiff test in the title bout; DBU has reached the NCAA Div. II national tournament for six consecutive years. The Patriots dropped into the NCCAA this fall due to uncertainties in the NCAA ranks due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Last year DBU reached the NCAA DII Sweet Sixteen.
Grace lost the game despite holding a 1-0 lead at halftime.
The Lady Lancers (10-4-1) stunned the Patriots (4-0) with an early goal. Alexis Larimore split the defender’s legs with a pass to JJ Aalbue, who in turn crossed a pass into the middle of the penalty box.
Lea Moessinger connected with Aalbue’s cross, tucking a one-time volley into the bottom-right corner of the net. Grace’s goal came 91 seconds into the match.
Larimore nearly made the score 2-0 a few minutes later, but her shot whizzed just above the crossbar.
Dallas Baptist tried to find an equalizer and nearly did in the sixth minute. Erin Crew blocked a potential game-tying shot in front of goal.
A few minutes later, Anna Kuhl found herself open in the box after a corner kick, but her header was saved.
Midway into the half, the Patriots almost scored again. Bethany Blackwood made a 1v1 save from close range, however, to preserve Grace’s lead.
Grace went into halftime still ahead 1-0. The Patriots held a slight 7-4 edge in shot attempts.
Grace’s lead evaporated almost immediately after halftime. DBU marched down the field after the kickoff, scoring 33 seconds into the second half to level the score 1-1.
The Lady Lancers pressed for the lead with 28 minutes remaining, but Aalbue’s low shot was pushed wide by the diving goalkeeper.
Three minutes later, Grace looked to score again. Taylor Binkerd intercepted a pass from DBU’s goalkeeper and had a 1v1 opportunity, but the Patriots’ goalkeeper made a stout save to snuff out Binkerd’s chance.
The play was replicated with 11 minutes on the clock. Helena Vieira Rijo stole a pass and found herself alone with the DBU goalkeeper, but Rijo’s shot sailed above the goal.
Grace seemed the stronger side as regulation started to wind down. The Lady Lancers earned a free kick in the final minute, but the Patriots denied the chance.
In the last second of regulation, Aalbue almost won the championship in spectacular fashion. The sophomore tried a long, right-footed shot which beat the goalkeeper but glanced harmlessly off the crossbar. The game headed to overtime.
Neither team could score in the first overtime session, although not for lack of trying. DBU had the better opportunities in the first part of the period, but Grace seemed stronger as the period ended.
Early in the second OT, Grace had a deep free kick. Brooke Kohler won a header on the set piece, but her effort went wide of the goal frame.
Two minutes later, DBU won the title. The Patriots crossed from the left side of the field and managed to squeeze a shot through a crowded penalty box into the back of the net.
Grace’s season is far from finished, however. While the fall season will end, Grace will continue to play in the spring. The Lady Lancers will play nonconference games as well as potentially the NAIA National Championships.
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