WINONA LAKE - Grace College’s women’s soccer team used a team effort to defeat Goshen on Wednesday.

Three different players scored for the NAIA No. 15 Lady Lancers during a 3-1 victory at 1st Source Bank Field.

Grace wasted little time getting on the scoreboard. Sam Vondersaar stole the ball in Goshen’s end of the field and immediately passed to Madison Tuma.

With one touch, Tuma lofted her shot above the goalkeeper for an early 1-0 lead in the eighth minute.

A few minutes later, Grace almost scored again. After a well-worked attack, Alexis Larimore centered a pass to  Lea Moessinger in the penalty box. But Moessinger’s shot drilled off the goalpost.

Grace owned the ball control in the first half. The Lady Lancers were patient in their attack, picking and choosing their spots to break Goshen’s defensive front.

Larimore, who proved to be dangerous throughout the half on the sidelines, created Grace’s second goal late in the half.

After beating several Maple Leafs on her advance to the penalty box, she eventually picked out Moessinger who beat the goalkeeper from close range.

The Lady Lancers claimed a 2-0 lead at halftime. Grace outshot Goshen 7-2 in the half with four of Grace’s shots being on target.

The second half started much slower. The teams did not take a shot until 15 minutes had expired. Moessinger’s low shot in the penalty box was saved.

Grace found its third goal at the 67:02 mark on a brilliant strike from Larimore. The senior forward curled a left-footed shot into the back of the net from outside the box, giving Grace a comfortable 3-0 margin.

The Maple Leafs scored a consolation goal late in regulation when a lofted cross caused confusion, resulting in an own goal.

Grace finished the game with 12 shots and six on target. The Maple Leafs managed just two shots on target.

Libby Stratton registered her second straight victory as Grace’s goalkeeper, making one save in 90 minutes.

“The women found creative ways to score goals today. We were able to thoughtfully progress our possession,” said Grace head coach Michael Voss. “Goshen played tough and compact, forcing us to break them down. I’m proud of the work rate we had and the positive mindset.”



Grace steady at No. 15 in NAIA rankings

WINONA LAKE - For the third consecutive week, Grace’s women’s soccer team has remained at No. 15 in the NAIA Top 25 Coaches’ Poll.

The Lady Lancers are receiving 274 points from the national raters, which is composed of head coaches from across the NAIA.

The Lady Lancers have been ranked for 29 consecutive polls, a streak that stretches across three years. It is the ninth-longest active streak in the NAIA.

The Crossroads League held its rankings across the poll with No. 4 Spring Arbor, No. 6 Marian and No. 8 Indiana Wesleyan joining Grace in the rankings.

The Lady Lancers (8-4-1, 3-1-1 CL) will take their two-match winning streak into Saturday’s matchup at Bethel. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m.



Lancers score late in dramatic win

GOSHEN - The match between Grace’s men’s soccer team and Goshen was filled with drama, including a late-game winner by the Lancers.

Tyler Brueckman’s 82nd-minute header lifted the Lancers to a 3-2 road win at Goshen.

With the win, the Lancers (6-8, 3-2 CL) continue their climb up the Crossroads League standings. Grace now sits in a three-way tie for second place with four regular season matches remaining.

The Lancers will put their winning streak to the test on Saturday, hosting rival Bethel for a 7 p.m. showdown at 1st Source Bank Field. It will be the team’s first meeting since Grace’s NCCAA championship win over the Pilots a year ago.

Wednesday’s match was filled with action, featuring 27 shots, 32 fouls, 5 goals and 3 yellow cards.

Grace held the lead three times in the match; twice the Maple Leafs (5-6-4, 1-4 CL) were able to rally.

The first goal came in the 11th minute. A cross from Frederik Christmann found the head of David Koch, and Koch redirected in the game’s opening goal.

Sixteen minutes later, Goshen tied the score. The Maple Leafs stole a pass and quickly struck in the 27th minute to make the score 1-1.

The Lancers scored again before halftime. Marco Poliani stole a key pass and quickly moved the ball to Martim Cardoso. Another leading pass put Felipe Gruber in a scoring position in the box, but he was tackled from behind to award the Lancers a penalty kick.

Gruber stepped up and buried the PK to give Grace a 2-1 lead at halftime.

The Lancers held an 8-5 shot advantage at halftime and also had a 6-1 edge in corner kicks.

Grace remained in front until the final frenetic 20 minutes.

The Maple Leafs capitalized on another missed pass by Grace’s backline to tie the match. Almost immediately after the dispossession, Goshen scored in the 71st minute on a long-range strike.

But Grace had the final say on the night. Ze Maria Goncalves made a bold move to steal the ball in the attacking end of the field. After shielding away a defender, he quickly crossed in front of the goal to Tyler Brueckman, and Brueckman headed his shot past the goalkeeper for the winner.

The Maple Leafs were not able to produce a shot over the final 11 minutes of the match as Grace’s possession and defending proved tough to unlock.

Matteo Conci made six saves in the victory as Grace’s goalkeeper.



Grace falls to No. 22 IWU in four

WINONA LAKE - An opening set win could not be sustained during Grace’s volleyball team’s 3-1 defeat to No. 22 Indiana Wesleyan on Wednesday.

The Lady Lancers, who were missing two starters, stunned the Wildcats by claiming the opening set.

Anna Frey had kills on the first two rallies of the match as Grace won the first four points. The Lady Lancers steadily built up their lead, ending the set on a 7-2 run.

Grace won the opening set 25-14. The offense erupted with 12 kills on two errors compared to eight kills and eight errors by the Wildcats.

The Wildcats struck back with a fury. IWU had 14 kills in the second set, 15 kills in the third set and 16 kills in the fourth.

The Wildcats secured the 3-1 comeback win with 25-13, 25-18 and 25-13 set victories.

Frey led all players with 15 kills, racking up 14 digs in a well-rounded performance.

Alisha Leffring had eight kills, and Morgan Syoen had 16 assists and 13 digs.

Grace Erwin played a big role with 20 digs and four assists, Katie Swanson had seven kills, and Riley Owens added 15 digs.

The Lady Lancers are on the road this weekend, playing at Huntington on Friday and at No. 7 Marian on Saturday.



Grace Golf readies for NCCAA Nationals



WINONA LAKE - Grace’s men’s and women’s golf teams are days away from competing for a national championship.

Grace’s squads both qualified for the 2021 NCCAA National Championships. The three-day, three-round tournament will be held at Hammock Beach Resort in Palm Coast, Fla.

The opening round is scheduled for Monday with the championship being decided by Wednesday.

The men are one of nine teams who will vie for the NCCAA crown, joining Asbury, Bethel, Bob Jones, Campbellsville-Harrodsburg, Cedarville, Central Christian, Malone and North Central.

The Lancers were an at-large selection after a strong body of work during the fall season.

The Lady Lancers are in a six-team field. Joining Grace are Bethel, Central Christian, Judson, Oakland City and Trinity Christian.



Grace Cross Country in NAIA polls

WINONA LAKE - The Lancer cross country teams continued to appear in the NAIA polls this week. The men's team remained in the top 25, coming in ranked No. 22. The women's team is currently in the No. 27 spot.

Grace raced last week at the Bethel Invitational, although the top runners for the men's team took the week off. Both squads will compete on October 23 at the Great Lakes Challenge in Grand Rapids, Mich., a meet featuring many ranked teams from around the Midwest.

The Crossroads League is well represented in the polls, with six league teams receiving votes on both the men's and the women's side.

The next NAIA rankings will be released on October 28.