Lancers Fall In PK Shootout
November 11, 2021 at 10:07 p.m.
Lancers Fall In PK Shootout
By Josh Neuhart-
The Lancers tied Indiana Wesleyan 0-0 after two overtimes, and the Wildcats escaped in a penalty kick shootout (4-3).
Grace had a dominant 18-7 shot advantage against the Wildcats, but IWU managed to keep the Lancers off the scoreboard. The Wildcats remarkably have not scored a goal in the CL Tournament after two straight scoreless PK shootouts, yet the sixth-seeded Wildcats find themselves one match away from qualifying for the NAIA National Championships.
Grace’s NAIA hopes vanquished as a result of Wednesday’s match, but the Lancers will continue still in the postseason.
Grace will attempt to defend its NCCAA national championship crown; the Lancers will likely have an NCCAA regional match next week in order to qualify for the national tournament in Kissimmee, Fla. Regional opponent and date have yet to be announced.
During the first half, Grace’s pressure began to give IWU issues in possession. As a result, Grace consistently earned dangerous advances toward the Wildcats’ goal.
In the seventh minute, a well-worked attack resulted in a header by Tyler Brueckman, but his headed effort was saved out of bounds for a corner kick.
Minutes later, Ze Maria Goncalves tried a long-range shot that went wide.
Midway into the half, Jordan Jayapuram’s cross connected with Goncalves, and his headed effort in front of the net was high.
The Wildcats mainly attacked through direct plays, trying to take advantage of Grace’s pressure. But the Lancers were rarely threatened.
Grace owned a 9-3 advantage in shots in the first half with seven players recording a shot for the Lancers. Grace also had a 3-2 edge in corner kicks in the half.
The Lancers continued their role as the offensive aggressor in the second half, peppering the Wildcats’ goal with eight more shots.
Martim Cardoso was fouled twice in the opening minutes of the second half. The first occasion drew a yellow card on IWU, and the second earned a dangerous free kick opportunity.
On the ensuing free kick, Ethan Vigario’s curling effort whizzed just wide of the net.
IWU seemed content to play in a defensive formation, and the Wildcats’ defensive shell proved hard to crack. Grace still possessed the ball fluidly through the midfield and largely kept IWU pinned into its own end of the field.
With 22 minutes left, Grace had another golden chance. Felipe Gruber beat a defender along the left side of the field. He fired a left-footed rocket that beat the goalkeeper but clanged off the post.
Jules Peycelon tried a pair of late shots for Grace to no avail, sending the match to overtime. The Lancers doubled up the Wildcats in shot attempts in the second half by the count of 8-4.
The overtime periods had little action with just one shot attempt. The Lancers made a late push in the final minutes of the second overtime, picking up a pair of corner kicks and a shot by Vigario. But the Wildcats’ net remained unharmed as their defense held firm.
Grace had the lead in the PK shootout after three rounds thanks to the goalkeeping prowess of Matteo Conci. But the Wildcats made their final three spot kicks while Grace missed two of its final three to allow the Wildcats to advance.
Conci saved three shots to record the shutout. Vigario tried five shots, nearly the same amount as IWU in the match (seven). Peycelon and Gruber each shot three times.
The Lancers tied Indiana Wesleyan 0-0 after two overtimes, and the Wildcats escaped in a penalty kick shootout (4-3).
Grace had a dominant 18-7 shot advantage against the Wildcats, but IWU managed to keep the Lancers off the scoreboard. The Wildcats remarkably have not scored a goal in the CL Tournament after two straight scoreless PK shootouts, yet the sixth-seeded Wildcats find themselves one match away from qualifying for the NAIA National Championships.
Grace’s NAIA hopes vanquished as a result of Wednesday’s match, but the Lancers will continue still in the postseason.
Grace will attempt to defend its NCCAA national championship crown; the Lancers will likely have an NCCAA regional match next week in order to qualify for the national tournament in Kissimmee, Fla. Regional opponent and date have yet to be announced.
During the first half, Grace’s pressure began to give IWU issues in possession. As a result, Grace consistently earned dangerous advances toward the Wildcats’ goal.
In the seventh minute, a well-worked attack resulted in a header by Tyler Brueckman, but his headed effort was saved out of bounds for a corner kick.
Minutes later, Ze Maria Goncalves tried a long-range shot that went wide.
Midway into the half, Jordan Jayapuram’s cross connected with Goncalves, and his headed effort in front of the net was high.
The Wildcats mainly attacked through direct plays, trying to take advantage of Grace’s pressure. But the Lancers were rarely threatened.
Grace owned a 9-3 advantage in shots in the first half with seven players recording a shot for the Lancers. Grace also had a 3-2 edge in corner kicks in the half.
The Lancers continued their role as the offensive aggressor in the second half, peppering the Wildcats’ goal with eight more shots.
Martim Cardoso was fouled twice in the opening minutes of the second half. The first occasion drew a yellow card on IWU, and the second earned a dangerous free kick opportunity.
On the ensuing free kick, Ethan Vigario’s curling effort whizzed just wide of the net.
IWU seemed content to play in a defensive formation, and the Wildcats’ defensive shell proved hard to crack. Grace still possessed the ball fluidly through the midfield and largely kept IWU pinned into its own end of the field.
With 22 minutes left, Grace had another golden chance. Felipe Gruber beat a defender along the left side of the field. He fired a left-footed rocket that beat the goalkeeper but clanged off the post.
Jules Peycelon tried a pair of late shots for Grace to no avail, sending the match to overtime. The Lancers doubled up the Wildcats in shot attempts in the second half by the count of 8-4.
The overtime periods had little action with just one shot attempt. The Lancers made a late push in the final minutes of the second overtime, picking up a pair of corner kicks and a shot by Vigario. But the Wildcats’ net remained unharmed as their defense held firm.
Grace had the lead in the PK shootout after three rounds thanks to the goalkeeping prowess of Matteo Conci. But the Wildcats made their final three spot kicks while Grace missed two of its final three to allow the Wildcats to advance.
Conci saved three shots to record the shutout. Vigario tried five shots, nearly the same amount as IWU in the match (seven). Peycelon and Gruber each shot three times.
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