Binkley's Late Goal Lifts Lancers Past Spring Arbor
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
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Freshman Damon Binkley scored the dramatic late winner to keep the Lancers tied for first in the Crossroads League.
The Lancers (8-4, 3-1 CL) were knotted 1-1 entering the final minutes. A well-worked attack from Mitchell Zeilenga, Kyle Hamlin and Damon Binkley resulted in a shot from Zeilenga that deflected off the post. The loose ball hugged the right end line and stayed inbounds long enough for Binkley to reach it. The freshman forward then blasted his shot into the far netting to give Grace the win.
“We are very happy for the victory tonight. We still have room for improvement in key areas. We had several chances earlier that would have taken some of that pressure off us at the end,” said Grace head coach Matt Hotchkin. “We have a young team, but they are showing the ability to play against anybody. Spring Arbor is an athletic team, and I thought our guys matched them.”
Wednesday’s game with Spring Arbor produced 37 shots. The Cougars (6-5-2, 1-2-1 CL), who are receiving votes in the NAIA Top 25, had a 23-14 advantage in shots during the match. Only six of Spring Arbor’s shots were on goal, however.
The game started with a balance as each side took shots on goal. The Lancers’ best look in the opening 20 minutes came on a cross from Josiah Osborn, which Nikola Djordjevic headed high.
Spring Arbor opened the scoring in the 28th minute, finishing off a cross from the right side.
It took Grace less than 10 minutes to respond. Thomas Tydeman swiped a ball from the Cougars’ defense, then placed his shot past the charging goalkeeper at the 34:48 mark.
The match stayed tied 1-1 through halftime up until the final six minutes.
Binkley led Grace with four shots while Collin Cape added three. Daniel Smith and Hamlin each fired two shots.
Goalkeeper Robbie Barnhill picked up the win in goal for Grace, making five saves in 90 minutes.
“Now we prepare for another tough conference opponent on Saturday,” Hotchkin said. “The daily preparation has been really fun with this team. They are always willing to try new things.”
The Lancers will host Mt. Vernon Nazarene on Saturday at 7 p.m. to wrap up the week.
Women’s Soccer
Wednesday in
Spring Arbor, Mich.
Grace’s No. 8-ranked women’s soccer team tasted its first defeat of the season on Wednesday.
The Lady Lancers (10-1-1, 2-1-1 Crossroads League) lost 1-0 at No. 9 Spring Arbor in the NAIA Game of the Week.
The Cougars (10-2-1, 4-0 CL) kept pressure on Grace’s backline by firing shots at the Lady Lancers’ goal. Spring Arbor ended the match with a 21-6 advantage in shots.
The first half was scoreless. Each side could only manage four shots apiece before halftime, but neither team could find a breakthrough.
Grace’s best look of the half came when Meredith Hollar found space after a long pass from Mallory Rondeau. Her 21-yard shot under pressure was calmly saved by SAU. Kristelle Jadoo also took a shot in the final seconds from outside the box to no avail.
The Cougars ramped up their pressure in the second half. SAU tried 17 shots over the final 45 minutes, including seven corner kicks.
Spring Arbor broke through in the 53rd minute. SAU’s Bethany Balcer made a long run from midfield through Grace’s defense. She collected a loose ball in the penalty area and slotted in the only goal of the match.
Grace’s offense was limited to two shots after halftime. Rondeau tried a shot on the right side of the box that went wide, and Hollar fired off a hard shot at the top of the 18-yard line.
“This match needed a higher level of cleanness and composure from our team. We were good at times moving the ball effectively and created handfuls of dangerous sections,” said Grace head coach Michael Voss. “Our possession was generally predictable, which led to a physicality that was disruptive. On the day we needed to be more effective at being in possession and calm the sideways chaos. This match lived up to the hype. We expected the game to be forced into our defensive third with a wide variety of attempts at goal. SAU is good at what they do.”
Grace goalkeeper Abby Schue made 10 saves in a strong performance.
The Lady Lancers will take on another NAIA-ranked opponent on Saturday. Grace travels to No. 20 Mt. Vernon Nazarene for a 2 p.m. kickoff.
Volleyball
Wednesday in Winona Lake
Grace’s volleyball team continued its climb up the Crossroads League standings with a 3-1 win over Goshen on Wednesday.
The Lady Lancers (14-9, 6-5 CL) have now won six of their past seven matches and advanced into a three-way tie for third place in the league.
Grace leaned on the two-headed attack of Sierra Smith (14 kills) and Kelsee Zuidema (13 kills) in the victory. Zuidema, who was named the NCCAA and CL Player of the Week earlier in the week, hit at a .458 percentage.
Alix Underwood was a major spark off the bench, hitting for eight kills on just 11 attempts, adding two block assists.
The Maple Leafs (9-11, 3-9 CL) pulled out a 25-21 win in the opening set as Grace struggled with nine errors.
Grace’s offense hit its stride in the second game, however. The Lady Lancers pounded out 19 kills for a 25-16 win. A block point from Tori Bontrager and Underwood secured the final point.
Grace held a small lead for much of the third set, eventually pulling ahead 19-13 on an ace by Bontrager. Marta Bleed’s kill earned the final point for Grace in a 25-20 win.
Although Grace again led for the majority of the fourth game, Goshen refused to go down easy. The Lady Lancers held a 22-18 advantage, but the Maple Leafs climbed back to within one at 23-22. Underwood then blasted a kill in the middle, and Bleed scored the last point again with a crosscourt hit.
Sara Miller led all players with 22 digs, and Kaitlin Kerrigan added five kills and 11 digs. Bontrager had one solo block and three block assists, Laken Chaney tallied 25 assists and two aces, and Taylor Baird finished with 20 assists and five digs.
The Lady Lancers get a break from the league season this weekend. Grace will travel to Davenport on Friday and Saturday for four matches.
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Freshman Damon Binkley scored the dramatic late winner to keep the Lancers tied for first in the Crossroads League.
The Lancers (8-4, 3-1 CL) were knotted 1-1 entering the final minutes. A well-worked attack from Mitchell Zeilenga, Kyle Hamlin and Damon Binkley resulted in a shot from Zeilenga that deflected off the post. The loose ball hugged the right end line and stayed inbounds long enough for Binkley to reach it. The freshman forward then blasted his shot into the far netting to give Grace the win.
“We are very happy for the victory tonight. We still have room for improvement in key areas. We had several chances earlier that would have taken some of that pressure off us at the end,” said Grace head coach Matt Hotchkin. “We have a young team, but they are showing the ability to play against anybody. Spring Arbor is an athletic team, and I thought our guys matched them.”
Wednesday’s game with Spring Arbor produced 37 shots. The Cougars (6-5-2, 1-2-1 CL), who are receiving votes in the NAIA Top 25, had a 23-14 advantage in shots during the match. Only six of Spring Arbor’s shots were on goal, however.
The game started with a balance as each side took shots on goal. The Lancers’ best look in the opening 20 minutes came on a cross from Josiah Osborn, which Nikola Djordjevic headed high.
Spring Arbor opened the scoring in the 28th minute, finishing off a cross from the right side.
It took Grace less than 10 minutes to respond. Thomas Tydeman swiped a ball from the Cougars’ defense, then placed his shot past the charging goalkeeper at the 34:48 mark.
The match stayed tied 1-1 through halftime up until the final six minutes.
Binkley led Grace with four shots while Collin Cape added three. Daniel Smith and Hamlin each fired two shots.
Goalkeeper Robbie Barnhill picked up the win in goal for Grace, making five saves in 90 minutes.
“Now we prepare for another tough conference opponent on Saturday,” Hotchkin said. “The daily preparation has been really fun with this team. They are always willing to try new things.”
The Lancers will host Mt. Vernon Nazarene on Saturday at 7 p.m. to wrap up the week.
Women’s Soccer
Wednesday in
Spring Arbor, Mich.
Grace’s No. 8-ranked women’s soccer team tasted its first defeat of the season on Wednesday.
The Lady Lancers (10-1-1, 2-1-1 Crossroads League) lost 1-0 at No. 9 Spring Arbor in the NAIA Game of the Week.
The Cougars (10-2-1, 4-0 CL) kept pressure on Grace’s backline by firing shots at the Lady Lancers’ goal. Spring Arbor ended the match with a 21-6 advantage in shots.
The first half was scoreless. Each side could only manage four shots apiece before halftime, but neither team could find a breakthrough.
Grace’s best look of the half came when Meredith Hollar found space after a long pass from Mallory Rondeau. Her 21-yard shot under pressure was calmly saved by SAU. Kristelle Jadoo also took a shot in the final seconds from outside the box to no avail.
The Cougars ramped up their pressure in the second half. SAU tried 17 shots over the final 45 minutes, including seven corner kicks.
Spring Arbor broke through in the 53rd minute. SAU’s Bethany Balcer made a long run from midfield through Grace’s defense. She collected a loose ball in the penalty area and slotted in the only goal of the match.
Grace’s offense was limited to two shots after halftime. Rondeau tried a shot on the right side of the box that went wide, and Hollar fired off a hard shot at the top of the 18-yard line.
“This match needed a higher level of cleanness and composure from our team. We were good at times moving the ball effectively and created handfuls of dangerous sections,” said Grace head coach Michael Voss. “Our possession was generally predictable, which led to a physicality that was disruptive. On the day we needed to be more effective at being in possession and calm the sideways chaos. This match lived up to the hype. We expected the game to be forced into our defensive third with a wide variety of attempts at goal. SAU is good at what they do.”
Grace goalkeeper Abby Schue made 10 saves in a strong performance.
The Lady Lancers will take on another NAIA-ranked opponent on Saturday. Grace travels to No. 20 Mt. Vernon Nazarene for a 2 p.m. kickoff.
Volleyball
Wednesday in Winona Lake
Grace’s volleyball team continued its climb up the Crossroads League standings with a 3-1 win over Goshen on Wednesday.
The Lady Lancers (14-9, 6-5 CL) have now won six of their past seven matches and advanced into a three-way tie for third place in the league.
Grace leaned on the two-headed attack of Sierra Smith (14 kills) and Kelsee Zuidema (13 kills) in the victory. Zuidema, who was named the NCCAA and CL Player of the Week earlier in the week, hit at a .458 percentage.
Alix Underwood was a major spark off the bench, hitting for eight kills on just 11 attempts, adding two block assists.
The Maple Leafs (9-11, 3-9 CL) pulled out a 25-21 win in the opening set as Grace struggled with nine errors.
Grace’s offense hit its stride in the second game, however. The Lady Lancers pounded out 19 kills for a 25-16 win. A block point from Tori Bontrager and Underwood secured the final point.
Grace held a small lead for much of the third set, eventually pulling ahead 19-13 on an ace by Bontrager. Marta Bleed’s kill earned the final point for Grace in a 25-20 win.
Although Grace again led for the majority of the fourth game, Goshen refused to go down easy. The Lady Lancers held a 22-18 advantage, but the Maple Leafs climbed back to within one at 23-22. Underwood then blasted a kill in the middle, and Bleed scored the last point again with a crosscourt hit.
Sara Miller led all players with 22 digs, and Kaitlin Kerrigan added five kills and 11 digs. Bontrager had one solo block and three block assists, Laken Chaney tallied 25 assists and two aces, and Taylor Baird finished with 20 assists and five digs.
The Lady Lancers get a break from the league season this weekend. Grace will travel to Davenport on Friday and Saturday for four matches.
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