Grace College Kickers Win Regional Quarterfinal
November 14, 2016 at 5:25 p.m.
Grace College Kickers Win Regional Quarterfinal
By Staff Report-
The Lancers (8-7-3) began the NCCAA Midwest Regional quarterfinal in spectacular with six different names on the scoresheet. The win moves Grace into the semifinals on Friday against Houghton. The semifinals and finals will be held at Indiana Wesleyan.
Grace gained control of the game in the early stages by keeping possession and passing well. The Lancers outshot the Chargers 10-2 in the first half, and three of those shots found the back of the net.
Grace settled into the game quickly and scored in the 23rd minute. Damon Binkley received a pass from Thomas Tydeman and had a look at goal. While he was on the right side of the 18-yard box, he sent his shot to the far left post to leave Lancaster’s keeper no chance for a save.
The Lancers’ second goal came from Tydeman. Colin Cape gained control in the midfield and sent a through ball to an unmarked Tydeman, who rounded an oncoming defender and slotted in his goal to the goalie’s right.
Cody Boerema provided Grace with its third goal just seven minutes later. After Nikola Djordjevic won a tackle in midfield, Daniel Smith dribbled through the Chargers’ territory with ease. He found a well-positioned Boerema who was able to slip the ball through the keeper’s legs, making the scoreboard show 3-0 at halftime.
It took Grace a mere two minutes to score again in the second half. Binkley passed to Smith, who finished his shot beneath the crossbar.
Binkley picked up another assist six minutes later when he found Breno Oliveira in a better position for a shot. From 15 yards out, Oliveira finished the ball inside the left post.
For the next 30 minutes, neither team could find the net despite several chances for each side. The final three goals came in the final five minutes. Santiago Maya scored for Grace in the 85th minute following a corner, and Boerema scored his second goal of the day in the 90th minute assisted by Dominic Harris.
Lancaster’s goal came in the 86th minute when Marco Patz won a penalty kick. His shot was saved by a diving Robbie Barnhill, but Justin Stolzfus was the first to jump on the loose ball and netted it to give the Chargers (10-11) a consolation goal.
Overall, Grace outshot Lancaster 24-5, which included 13 shots on goal. Six of Grace’s goals were assisted; Binkley had two assists as well as the opening goal. Kurt Hamlin started the game as Grace’s goalkeeper, and Barnhill took over for the second half.
The winner of the regional will receive an automatic bid to the NCCAA National Championships.
MEN’S BASKETBALL
DEERFIELD, Ill. – Grace’s men’s basketball team followed up its first loss of the year with a 31-point rout of Silver Lake on Saturday.
The Lancers ended the Trinity International Tournament with a 109-78 win, putting six players in double-digit scoring.
Grace shot strong in both halves, hitting 53 percent in the first half and 56 percent in the second half. The Lancers (5-1) also drilled 18 treys, including five each from Stephen Halstead and Jaret Sons.
Grace set the tone early by scoring 14 unanswered points to start the game. The Lancers built their cushion up into the 20s in the first half, claiming a 56-32 advantage at halftime thanks to a last-second triple from Tre Olive.
In the second half, Grace substituted freely. The Lancers still ballooned their lead up to as many as 42 points after halftime.
Sons led Grace in scoring off the bench, putting up 19 points, which included five treys, and nine rebounds.
Erik Bowen was a perfect 7-of-7 from the floor, racking up 15 points, nine boards, and three assists. Halstead had 15 points with five triples in 20 minutes of work.
Olive had 14 points and four assists in 18 minutes, and Logan Godfrey added 10 points and 11 boards.
Charlie Warner was efficient with 12 points on six shots, and Braxton Linville added nine points and six assists without a turnover.
All 11 Lancers who saw the court scored for Grace, and no one played more than 26 minutes.
“We played with a greater sense of purpose and energy than yesterday. There is just no substitute for approaching the game with passion to create crispness in defensive effort and ball movement,” said Grace head coach Jim Kessler. “As poorly as we played yesterday, we were sharp today. No excuses but inconsistency is one sign of youth. Now the challenge is to carry it forward as we host a very good Cincinnati Christian team next week.”
The Lancers will return home on Tuesday at 7 p.m. against Cincinnati Christian, a team who is receiving votes in the NAIA poll.
CROSS COUNTRY
JACKSON, Miss. – Grace’s cross country team exceed expectations at the 2016 NCCAA National Championships on Saturday.
Both teams placed fifth, marking the women’s best finish since 1985 and the men’s best since 2002.
Raven Arellano and Ben Rankin both earned All-American status individually to lead Grace. Arellano was 14th with a personal-best time of 18:38, and Rankin finished 10th in a time of 25:54. Rankin became the first men’s runner from Grace to earn NCCAA All-American status since Corey Drake and Art Woodruff in 2003.
“This was a great way to end the team portion of our season. You never know how the athletes will respond after a long trip, but the women started things off with a gutsy race. The men followed with another good effort, topping our expectations with a fifth-place finish,” said Grace head coach Jeff Raymond. “Raven and Ben both put themselves into one of the leading packs early in their races. They fought to keep their positions and had strong finishes.”
Nathan Lane was second for Grace in 26:52, and Joel Bertelsen was not far behind in 27:07 for 30th place.
Tyler Houvener (27:42) and Hunter Reed (27:47) finished a mere five seconds apart, and Sam Hall (28:05) and Brandon Hamilton (28:12) also maintained a tight pack.
The men’s team time was only 2:12 out of third place in the 17-team championship race.
On the women’s side, freshman Brigit Nemitz ran a strong race behind Arellano to finish in 19:47 for 33rd place. Emma Mitchell was just four seconds and two places behind Nemitz.
McCallah Mast was fourth on the team in a time of 20:43, and freshmen Jessica Zvers (20:51) and Brooke Smith (20:54) rounded out the Lady Lancers.
Arellano and Rankin will continue their seasons next weekend at the 2016 NAIA National Championships, held in Elsah, Ill.
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The Lancers (8-7-3) began the NCCAA Midwest Regional quarterfinal in spectacular with six different names on the scoresheet. The win moves Grace into the semifinals on Friday against Houghton. The semifinals and finals will be held at Indiana Wesleyan.
Grace gained control of the game in the early stages by keeping possession and passing well. The Lancers outshot the Chargers 10-2 in the first half, and three of those shots found the back of the net.
Grace settled into the game quickly and scored in the 23rd minute. Damon Binkley received a pass from Thomas Tydeman and had a look at goal. While he was on the right side of the 18-yard box, he sent his shot to the far left post to leave Lancaster’s keeper no chance for a save.
The Lancers’ second goal came from Tydeman. Colin Cape gained control in the midfield and sent a through ball to an unmarked Tydeman, who rounded an oncoming defender and slotted in his goal to the goalie’s right.
Cody Boerema provided Grace with its third goal just seven minutes later. After Nikola Djordjevic won a tackle in midfield, Daniel Smith dribbled through the Chargers’ territory with ease. He found a well-positioned Boerema who was able to slip the ball through the keeper’s legs, making the scoreboard show 3-0 at halftime.
It took Grace a mere two minutes to score again in the second half. Binkley passed to Smith, who finished his shot beneath the crossbar.
Binkley picked up another assist six minutes later when he found Breno Oliveira in a better position for a shot. From 15 yards out, Oliveira finished the ball inside the left post.
For the next 30 minutes, neither team could find the net despite several chances for each side. The final three goals came in the final five minutes. Santiago Maya scored for Grace in the 85th minute following a corner, and Boerema scored his second goal of the day in the 90th minute assisted by Dominic Harris.
Lancaster’s goal came in the 86th minute when Marco Patz won a penalty kick. His shot was saved by a diving Robbie Barnhill, but Justin Stolzfus was the first to jump on the loose ball and netted it to give the Chargers (10-11) a consolation goal.
Overall, Grace outshot Lancaster 24-5, which included 13 shots on goal. Six of Grace’s goals were assisted; Binkley had two assists as well as the opening goal. Kurt Hamlin started the game as Grace’s goalkeeper, and Barnhill took over for the second half.
The winner of the regional will receive an automatic bid to the NCCAA National Championships.
MEN’S BASKETBALL
DEERFIELD, Ill. – Grace’s men’s basketball team followed up its first loss of the year with a 31-point rout of Silver Lake on Saturday.
The Lancers ended the Trinity International Tournament with a 109-78 win, putting six players in double-digit scoring.
Grace shot strong in both halves, hitting 53 percent in the first half and 56 percent in the second half. The Lancers (5-1) also drilled 18 treys, including five each from Stephen Halstead and Jaret Sons.
Grace set the tone early by scoring 14 unanswered points to start the game. The Lancers built their cushion up into the 20s in the first half, claiming a 56-32 advantage at halftime thanks to a last-second triple from Tre Olive.
In the second half, Grace substituted freely. The Lancers still ballooned their lead up to as many as 42 points after halftime.
Sons led Grace in scoring off the bench, putting up 19 points, which included five treys, and nine rebounds.
Erik Bowen was a perfect 7-of-7 from the floor, racking up 15 points, nine boards, and three assists. Halstead had 15 points with five triples in 20 minutes of work.
Olive had 14 points and four assists in 18 minutes, and Logan Godfrey added 10 points and 11 boards.
Charlie Warner was efficient with 12 points on six shots, and Braxton Linville added nine points and six assists without a turnover.
All 11 Lancers who saw the court scored for Grace, and no one played more than 26 minutes.
“We played with a greater sense of purpose and energy than yesterday. There is just no substitute for approaching the game with passion to create crispness in defensive effort and ball movement,” said Grace head coach Jim Kessler. “As poorly as we played yesterday, we were sharp today. No excuses but inconsistency is one sign of youth. Now the challenge is to carry it forward as we host a very good Cincinnati Christian team next week.”
The Lancers will return home on Tuesday at 7 p.m. against Cincinnati Christian, a team who is receiving votes in the NAIA poll.
CROSS COUNTRY
JACKSON, Miss. – Grace’s cross country team exceed expectations at the 2016 NCCAA National Championships on Saturday.
Both teams placed fifth, marking the women’s best finish since 1985 and the men’s best since 2002.
Raven Arellano and Ben Rankin both earned All-American status individually to lead Grace. Arellano was 14th with a personal-best time of 18:38, and Rankin finished 10th in a time of 25:54. Rankin became the first men’s runner from Grace to earn NCCAA All-American status since Corey Drake and Art Woodruff in 2003.
“This was a great way to end the team portion of our season. You never know how the athletes will respond after a long trip, but the women started things off with a gutsy race. The men followed with another good effort, topping our expectations with a fifth-place finish,” said Grace head coach Jeff Raymond. “Raven and Ben both put themselves into one of the leading packs early in their races. They fought to keep their positions and had strong finishes.”
Nathan Lane was second for Grace in 26:52, and Joel Bertelsen was not far behind in 27:07 for 30th place.
Tyler Houvener (27:42) and Hunter Reed (27:47) finished a mere five seconds apart, and Sam Hall (28:05) and Brandon Hamilton (28:12) also maintained a tight pack.
The men’s team time was only 2:12 out of third place in the 17-team championship race.
On the women’s side, freshman Brigit Nemitz ran a strong race behind Arellano to finish in 19:47 for 33rd place. Emma Mitchell was just four seconds and two places behind Nemitz.
McCallah Mast was fourth on the team in a time of 20:43, and freshmen Jessica Zvers (20:51) and Brooke Smith (20:54) rounded out the Lady Lancers.
Arellano and Rankin will continue their seasons next weekend at the 2016 NAIA National Championships, held in Elsah, Ill.
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