Lancers Tie No. 22 Roosevelt In 2OT
September 6, 2016 at 5:05 p.m.
Lancers Tie No. 22 Roosevelt In 2OT
By Josh Neuhart-
Despite having a myriad of chances, the Lancers didn’t score until the last minute of regulation. The match was evenly played throughout, producing 17 shots for Grace and 13 for Roosevelt.
The Lancers (3-0-2) were coming off a double overtime game on Saturday against Bluefield, but fatigue did not seem to be a factor during Monday’s clash.
“We knew tonight was going to be a tough game, and we needed that challenge. I thought our guys rose to the occasion,” said Grace head coach Matt Hotchkin. “Roosevelt is a strong team. Their possession and movement off the ball are second to none. Having said that, I thought our guys played smart tonight. We didn’t give them very many good looks.”
The first half produced good chances for both squads. Roosevelt started strongly and pressured Grace’s defense in the early stages. The Lakers (3-0-1) glanced a shot off the crossbar in their best look.
But Grace gained composure soon after and began to create several opportunities. Colin Cape had a header in the 11th minute to the near post that forced a reflex save by the Lakers’ goalkeeper.
In the second half, Roosevelt netted first. The Lakers took advantage of a defensive miscue by Grace and finished the quick-hitting counterattack just over a minute and a half after the intermission. Roosevelt’s goal proved to be one of its two shots in the second half.
The Lancers pressed hard for an equalizer. Minutes later, Thomas Tydeman and Damon Binkley combined on a charge at Roosevelt’s goal, but Binkley’s shot from close range was saved.
With just five minutes left on the clock, Cody Boerema made an inch-perfect pass to Binkley who split two defenders and found himself alone in a 1-on-1 with the Lakers’ goalkeeper. His shot beat the goalie but rolled just wide of the far post.
Grace continued to pound the ball inside the Lakers’ penalty box but were repeatedly denied until the last minute. The Lancers earned a corner kick, and Boerema’s cross was flicked into the net from a tight angle by Cape with just 33 seconds left in regulation.
Overall for the second half, Grace outshot Roosevelt 10-2.
Roosevelt seemed to have the sharper legs in the first session. The Lakers took three shots compared to zero for the Lancers.
The second overtime session produced two more shots for the Lakers and one for the Lancers, but neither side was able to find a dramatic winner.
For the match, Grace had 17 shots and 11 corner kicks, while Roosevelt tallied 13 shots and two corners.
Robbie Barnhill made six saves in 110 minutes in goal. He was defended well by the back line of Jon Sands, Jon Christensen, Brayton Taylor and Josiah Osborn.
Cape and Tydeman led Grace with four shots and two on goal, and Binkley and Hector Torres tallied three shots apiece.
“It was frustrating to give Roosevelt a goal in the first half, but I thought we outworked them for the majority of the second half. We had many good opportunities to tie it up, and we kept missing those chances,” Hotchkin said. “The late goal was earned. I love seeing these guys play when they have full hearts believing. This is a step forward in the young season. We strived together and scrapped and tried to win. Even though the scoreboard doesn’t reflect a win, we are beginning to see what we are capable of.”
The Lancers are in action again on Sept. 16 when they travel to St. Louis to play Harris-Stowe.
WOMEN’S TENNIS
WINONA LAKE – Grace College’s women’s tennis team wasted little time dispatching Manchester on Saturday, winning 9-0 at Miller Athletic Complex.
The Lady Lancers (2-2) impressed from the outset of the match, cruising in all three doubles matches.
Gabrielle Lawrence and Mariah Lewis won by a commanding score of 8-1 at No. 3 doubles, and Carrie Copeland and Molly Fitzpatrick won 8-2 at No. 2. Natalia Kurkova and Jenna Jackson completed the doubles sweep with an 8-3 victory at the top position.
Kurkova found herself in a battle at No. 1 singles after losing the opening set, but the senior bounced back to win the match 6-1, 10-6.
Jayna Huber did not drop a game at No. 6 singles, and Copeland only dropped one with a 6-0, 6-1 win at No. 2. Jackson also coasted with a 6-0, 6-2 victory at No. 3.
Fitpatrick claimed a 6-2, 4-6, 10-5 win at No. 4, and Lawrence completed Grace’s perfect day at No. 5 singles, 6-0, 6-2.
“Tonight it was nice to see the girls much more relaxed. We looked much more comfortable, and I thought they played some solid tennis,” said Grace head coach Scott Moore. “Hopefully this will give some of the girls a little confidence heading into our match against Trine.”
The Lady Lancers will host Trine on Wednesday at 4 p.m.
WOMEN’S GOLF
MARION – An impressive round on Friday highlighted the performance of Grace’s women’s golf team at the IWU invitational.
The Lady Lancers placed fifth out of eight teams in the two-day event, producing a 683 in the tournament.
Grace sat in fourth place after one day with a 337 as a team. The Lancers were one stroke behind Taylor for third and seven strokes out of second place.
But the Lady Lancers could not maintain their score on Saturday. While the top teams on the leaderboard dropped their strokes, Grace picked up nine more with a 346.
Sydney Abbott had a strong opener on Friday, firing an 81 to finish tied for sixth and six strokes behind the overall leader. She finished the second round with an 88.
Anna Marshall led Grace with a consistent 83-84, finishing 14th overall on the leaderboard. Lauren Keiser followed Abbott with a solid 87-84, Libby Tully carded an 86-87, and Paige Shearer finished with a tournament total of 178.
Other highlights include a second-round 83 from Stevie Luebbert and a nine-stroke improvement for Amanda Gifford between the rounds.
The Lady Lancers will host a tournament in Greenwood next weekend at Hickory Stick Golf Club.
Despite having a myriad of chances, the Lancers didn’t score until the last minute of regulation. The match was evenly played throughout, producing 17 shots for Grace and 13 for Roosevelt.
The Lancers (3-0-2) were coming off a double overtime game on Saturday against Bluefield, but fatigue did not seem to be a factor during Monday’s clash.
“We knew tonight was going to be a tough game, and we needed that challenge. I thought our guys rose to the occasion,” said Grace head coach Matt Hotchkin. “Roosevelt is a strong team. Their possession and movement off the ball are second to none. Having said that, I thought our guys played smart tonight. We didn’t give them very many good looks.”
The first half produced good chances for both squads. Roosevelt started strongly and pressured Grace’s defense in the early stages. The Lakers (3-0-1) glanced a shot off the crossbar in their best look.
But Grace gained composure soon after and began to create several opportunities. Colin Cape had a header in the 11th minute to the near post that forced a reflex save by the Lakers’ goalkeeper.
In the second half, Roosevelt netted first. The Lakers took advantage of a defensive miscue by Grace and finished the quick-hitting counterattack just over a minute and a half after the intermission. Roosevelt’s goal proved to be one of its two shots in the second half.
The Lancers pressed hard for an equalizer. Minutes later, Thomas Tydeman and Damon Binkley combined on a charge at Roosevelt’s goal, but Binkley’s shot from close range was saved.
With just five minutes left on the clock, Cody Boerema made an inch-perfect pass to Binkley who split two defenders and found himself alone in a 1-on-1 with the Lakers’ goalkeeper. His shot beat the goalie but rolled just wide of the far post.
Grace continued to pound the ball inside the Lakers’ penalty box but were repeatedly denied until the last minute. The Lancers earned a corner kick, and Boerema’s cross was flicked into the net from a tight angle by Cape with just 33 seconds left in regulation.
Overall for the second half, Grace outshot Roosevelt 10-2.
Roosevelt seemed to have the sharper legs in the first session. The Lakers took three shots compared to zero for the Lancers.
The second overtime session produced two more shots for the Lakers and one for the Lancers, but neither side was able to find a dramatic winner.
For the match, Grace had 17 shots and 11 corner kicks, while Roosevelt tallied 13 shots and two corners.
Robbie Barnhill made six saves in 110 minutes in goal. He was defended well by the back line of Jon Sands, Jon Christensen, Brayton Taylor and Josiah Osborn.
Cape and Tydeman led Grace with four shots and two on goal, and Binkley and Hector Torres tallied three shots apiece.
“It was frustrating to give Roosevelt a goal in the first half, but I thought we outworked them for the majority of the second half. We had many good opportunities to tie it up, and we kept missing those chances,” Hotchkin said. “The late goal was earned. I love seeing these guys play when they have full hearts believing. This is a step forward in the young season. We strived together and scrapped and tried to win. Even though the scoreboard doesn’t reflect a win, we are beginning to see what we are capable of.”
The Lancers are in action again on Sept. 16 when they travel to St. Louis to play Harris-Stowe.
WOMEN’S TENNIS
WINONA LAKE – Grace College’s women’s tennis team wasted little time dispatching Manchester on Saturday, winning 9-0 at Miller Athletic Complex.
The Lady Lancers (2-2) impressed from the outset of the match, cruising in all three doubles matches.
Gabrielle Lawrence and Mariah Lewis won by a commanding score of 8-1 at No. 3 doubles, and Carrie Copeland and Molly Fitzpatrick won 8-2 at No. 2. Natalia Kurkova and Jenna Jackson completed the doubles sweep with an 8-3 victory at the top position.
Kurkova found herself in a battle at No. 1 singles after losing the opening set, but the senior bounced back to win the match 6-1, 10-6.
Jayna Huber did not drop a game at No. 6 singles, and Copeland only dropped one with a 6-0, 6-1 win at No. 2. Jackson also coasted with a 6-0, 6-2 victory at No. 3.
Fitpatrick claimed a 6-2, 4-6, 10-5 win at No. 4, and Lawrence completed Grace’s perfect day at No. 5 singles, 6-0, 6-2.
“Tonight it was nice to see the girls much more relaxed. We looked much more comfortable, and I thought they played some solid tennis,” said Grace head coach Scott Moore. “Hopefully this will give some of the girls a little confidence heading into our match against Trine.”
The Lady Lancers will host Trine on Wednesday at 4 p.m.
WOMEN’S GOLF
MARION – An impressive round on Friday highlighted the performance of Grace’s women’s golf team at the IWU invitational.
The Lady Lancers placed fifth out of eight teams in the two-day event, producing a 683 in the tournament.
Grace sat in fourth place after one day with a 337 as a team. The Lancers were one stroke behind Taylor for third and seven strokes out of second place.
But the Lady Lancers could not maintain their score on Saturday. While the top teams on the leaderboard dropped their strokes, Grace picked up nine more with a 346.
Sydney Abbott had a strong opener on Friday, firing an 81 to finish tied for sixth and six strokes behind the overall leader. She finished the second round with an 88.
Anna Marshall led Grace with a consistent 83-84, finishing 14th overall on the leaderboard. Lauren Keiser followed Abbott with a solid 87-84, Libby Tully carded an 86-87, and Paige Shearer finished with a tournament total of 178.
Other highlights include a second-round 83 from Stevie Luebbert and a nine-stroke improvement for Amanda Gifford between the rounds.
The Lady Lancers will host a tournament in Greenwood next weekend at Hickory Stick Golf Club.
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