Hollar Scores Game-Winning Goal For Lady Lancers
September 12, 2016 at 4:11 p.m.
Hollar Scores Game-Winning Goal For Lady Lancers
By Josh Neuhart-
Former Warsaw Lady Tigers standout Meredith Hollar scored the lone goal of the match on Saturday at 1st Source Bank Field, helping the Lady Lancers (1-2-1) to the win.
Grace’s goal was the product of five quick passes. The ball moved from the right side of midfield, through the center circle and over to the left sideline. Aubrey Feipel then played a ball ahead to Liz Van Wormer, another former WCHS star, who touched a pass to Hollar at the top of the penalty box. Hollar took care of the rest, burying her shot beneath the crossbar to give the Spartan’s goalkeeper no chance in the 59th minute.
“MBU is much improved from last season. They added dangerous players and will do well this year. They were organized, played good futbol and worked hard for 90 minutes,” said Grace head coach Michael Voss. “The Grace women met our objectives today. We limited MBU opportunities. We were organized in our possession and moved at pace to create scoring opportunities.”
The Lady Lancers outshot Missouri Baptist in each half and 9-3 overall. Saturday’s match was a possession battle and was cleanly contested.
Grace had the better of possession in the first half but did not have a goal to show for it. The Spartans (2-3) were limited to one shot before halftime.
Grace’s shots in the first half largely came from outside the penalty area. The team’s best look came late in the half. Kaitlyn Hayes juked past several defenders and unleashed a 20-yard shot that whisked just wide of the right goalpost.
In the second half, Grace’s passing seemed to sharpen even further as MBU chased the ball most of the period. The Spartans were held to two shots after halftime, neither of which were on goal.
Grace’s movement wore down MBU in the second half, resulting in several chances for Grace and Hollar’s ultimate game winner.
Joana Schimmel had a free kick effort that went wide of the net in the 77th minute.
With five minutes left in the match, Sabina Meyers and Corinne Villalobos broke free on a counterattack. Meyers split two defenders with a pass on the break, but Villalobos’ chance was snuffed out by the Spartans’ goalkeeper at the last instant.
Overall, Grace limited MBU to zero shots on goal. Abby Schue picked up the shutout win without having to make a save. Carlie Salinas, Clair Snodgrass, Feipel, McKenna Cruz and Meredith Matson all were stout in defense.
Hollar had two shots to lead Grace, and Haylee Eastridge had all three of MBU’s attempts.
“This crew puts in the effort on the pitch, and I’m proud of them for that,” Voss said. “Our system is not polished yet, but we’ve started to realize our ability as a group. We are working forward to the day when we eclipse our potential, and today’s match confirmed that.”
Next up, the Lady Lancers will travel to Davenport on Thursday before heading to No. 18 Hastings on Saturday.
WOMEN’S GOLF
GREENWOOD – In potentially the biggest tournament of its season, Grace’s women’s golf team produced a record-breaking performance over the weekend.
The Lady Lancers set individual and team records at the NCCAA Midwest Regional, held at Hickory Stick Golf Club.
“I’m so excited about the direction of our team. The NCCAA Regional is the most important event of our year in many ways. For the girls to come out and play their best golf when it matters most says a lot about their maturity and competitive spirit,” said Grace coach Denny Duncan. “We are getting solid contributions from six players, and I couldn’t be more proud of how this team is playing right now.”
As a team, the Lady Lancers shot a 644 to finish second and set a program record for a two-round event. Both Friday and Saturday’s rounds beat the previous round record of 326, and Friday’s 319 bettered the old record by seven strokes.
Additionally, three players tied the individual single-round mark with a 77. Anna Marshall fired a 77-78 to finish second overall and qualify as an individual for the NCCAA Nationals. Her total of 155 shattered the previous two-round record and also marked the first time a Grace player has carded two scores in the 70s.
Lauren Keiser and Sydney Abbott also shot a round of 77 to tie the school record. Keiser shot hers in the second round after firing an 85 on Friday, and Abbott produced her 77 on Friday to tie for first place after one round.
Marshall will be the second Lady Lancer to compete at NCCAA Nationals, joining Keiser, who played last year in Grace’s maiden season. Grace’s team is in the running as an at-large squad to the national tournament; the full field will be released in October.
Stevie Luebbert had a solid showing to finish third for Grace with an 80-84, and Libby Tully lowered her score by three strokes with an 89-86.
The Lady Lancers will head to Michigan on Tuesday to play at the Quail Ridge Invitational.
VOLLEYBALL
WINONA LAKE – The Grace College volleyball team picked up its first Crossroads League win of the year with a 3-1 victory over Goshen on Saturday.
The match was tightly contested from the first serve with three of the four sets going to extra points at the Manahan Orthopaedic Capital Center.
The Lady Lancers (6-7, 1-3 CL) came out firing in the opener, outhitting Goshen 16 kills to nine. Grace needed a late surge to take out the Maple Leafs (6-5, 2-2 CL) for a 26-24 win.
In the second set, Grace pulled ahead 17-12 and seemed poised to take a 2-0 set lead. Goshen had other plans, however.
The Maple Leafs used an 8-1 run to grab a 20-18 lead. The Lady Lancers bounced back and served for the set at 24-22. But Goshen managed to survive and earned an improbable 26-24 win with four straight points. Grace had 17 attack errors in the second game.
The third set provided another extra-points clash. Midway through the game, Goshen held an 18-12 advantage. Grace closed the gap and tied the score at 21, 22 and 23. The Maple Leafs served for the set, but Kari Feddema had kills on two straight set points to keep the Lady Lancers afloat. Grace used that momentum to end the set 27-25 on kills from Taylor Baird and Kelsee Zuidema.
The fourth set proved to be anticlimactic as the Lady Lancers coasted to a 10-point win to clinch the match. Grace had 16 kills in the set on a .295 percentage.
“The girls played really hard today. They worked together well and our entire defensive unit was in sync,” said Grace head coach Katie Van Hofwegen. “The girls have continued to dig deep and fight hard this season, so it was great to see them come out on top. I’m excited to build on this and carry our momentum into next week.”
As a team, Grace had 65 kills while holding Goshen to 43 kills on a .107 percentage. Baird exploded with a career-high 52 assists go go along with 11 digs and five kills.
Sierra Smith met a career-best with 18 kills, and Zuidema had a memorable match with 18 kills, 10 digs, two aces and three block assists.
Caylie Teel tallied 26 digs, and Tori Bontrager had her best outing of the year with 11 kills and five block assists. Kaitlin Kerrigan, Sara Miller, Alexa Hill, Zuidema, Baird and Teel all produced double-digit digs in a well-rounded defensive performance.
The Lady Lancers will be on the road this week, playing at Taylor, Spring Arbor and St. Francis.
MEN’S SOCCER
WINONA LAKE – Grace College’s men's soccer team continued its impressive start to the season with a 3-0 victory over Aquinas on Saturday.
The match was a rain-soaked affair at 1st Source Bank Field, especially in the first half. Overall, the Lancers (4-0-2) doubled up Aquinas on shots with a 20-10 advantage.
With the rain beginning its downpour during the starters' introductions, the first half was defined by the slick surface. Grace seemed to adapt better to the playing conditions and controlled much of the half. The Lancers took nine shots and had four corners before halftime.
Grace nearly netted in the second minute of action when Hector Torres's shot sailed just wide of the goalpost. Torres would find his moment at the end of the match, however.
Ten minutes into the match, Cody Boerema came close for Grace when his shot hit the post.
The Saints (1-3-2) managed five shots in the period but only one required a save by Grace's goalkeeper Robbie Barnhill.
Breno Oliveira put Grace ahead for good in the 41st minute. The sophomore found space from well outside the penalty box, and his long curled attempt glanced off the goalkeeper's gloves and into the corner of the net at the 40:39 mark.
The rain, which has slowed in the later stages of the first half, picked back up to start the second half. Grace's offense also seemed to pick up momentum after halftime; the Lancers fired 11 shots and five shots on goal in the second half.
Torres came close again for Grace in the 60th minute when his shot hit the goalpost, and the Saints threatened to strike back. Barnhill made a reflex save on an 18-yard shot from Aquinas, and the rebounded effort from close-range went wide of goal in the 65th minute.
Five minutes later, Grace doubled its advantage. Nikola Djordjevic won a header at midfield and passed to Damon Binkley. Binkley made a perfect leading pass to Boerema who streaked behind the Saints' defense, and Boerema beat the goalkeeper for his fourth goal in five games.
Grace won a number of free kicks near the penalty box in the second half and came close on several of those opportunities without scoring.
The insurance goal came with less than a minute to play. Dominic Harris played a ball across the box which fell untouched to Torres on the far side. Torres made the most of his chance with a well-struck volley into the back of the net, converting the first goal of his collegiate career.
Colin Cape and Binkley led Grace with four shots apiece, and Torres, Boerema and Oliveira each took three.
Barnhill picked up the shutout win with four saves. He was defended well throughout the match by Jon Sands, Jon Christensen, Brayton Taylor and Josiah Osborn.
The Lancers hit the road this week for matches on Friday and Saturday against Harris-Stowe (Mo.) and Bacone (Okla.). Grace will start its Crossroads League campaign on Sept. 24 at Bethel.
Former Warsaw Lady Tigers standout Meredith Hollar scored the lone goal of the match on Saturday at 1st Source Bank Field, helping the Lady Lancers (1-2-1) to the win.
Grace’s goal was the product of five quick passes. The ball moved from the right side of midfield, through the center circle and over to the left sideline. Aubrey Feipel then played a ball ahead to Liz Van Wormer, another former WCHS star, who touched a pass to Hollar at the top of the penalty box. Hollar took care of the rest, burying her shot beneath the crossbar to give the Spartan’s goalkeeper no chance in the 59th minute.
“MBU is much improved from last season. They added dangerous players and will do well this year. They were organized, played good futbol and worked hard for 90 minutes,” said Grace head coach Michael Voss. “The Grace women met our objectives today. We limited MBU opportunities. We were organized in our possession and moved at pace to create scoring opportunities.”
The Lady Lancers outshot Missouri Baptist in each half and 9-3 overall. Saturday’s match was a possession battle and was cleanly contested.
Grace had the better of possession in the first half but did not have a goal to show for it. The Spartans (2-3) were limited to one shot before halftime.
Grace’s shots in the first half largely came from outside the penalty area. The team’s best look came late in the half. Kaitlyn Hayes juked past several defenders and unleashed a 20-yard shot that whisked just wide of the right goalpost.
In the second half, Grace’s passing seemed to sharpen even further as MBU chased the ball most of the period. The Spartans were held to two shots after halftime, neither of which were on goal.
Grace’s movement wore down MBU in the second half, resulting in several chances for Grace and Hollar’s ultimate game winner.
Joana Schimmel had a free kick effort that went wide of the net in the 77th minute.
With five minutes left in the match, Sabina Meyers and Corinne Villalobos broke free on a counterattack. Meyers split two defenders with a pass on the break, but Villalobos’ chance was snuffed out by the Spartans’ goalkeeper at the last instant.
Overall, Grace limited MBU to zero shots on goal. Abby Schue picked up the shutout win without having to make a save. Carlie Salinas, Clair Snodgrass, Feipel, McKenna Cruz and Meredith Matson all were stout in defense.
Hollar had two shots to lead Grace, and Haylee Eastridge had all three of MBU’s attempts.
“This crew puts in the effort on the pitch, and I’m proud of them for that,” Voss said. “Our system is not polished yet, but we’ve started to realize our ability as a group. We are working forward to the day when we eclipse our potential, and today’s match confirmed that.”
Next up, the Lady Lancers will travel to Davenport on Thursday before heading to No. 18 Hastings on Saturday.
WOMEN’S GOLF
GREENWOOD – In potentially the biggest tournament of its season, Grace’s women’s golf team produced a record-breaking performance over the weekend.
The Lady Lancers set individual and team records at the NCCAA Midwest Regional, held at Hickory Stick Golf Club.
“I’m so excited about the direction of our team. The NCCAA Regional is the most important event of our year in many ways. For the girls to come out and play their best golf when it matters most says a lot about their maturity and competitive spirit,” said Grace coach Denny Duncan. “We are getting solid contributions from six players, and I couldn’t be more proud of how this team is playing right now.”
As a team, the Lady Lancers shot a 644 to finish second and set a program record for a two-round event. Both Friday and Saturday’s rounds beat the previous round record of 326, and Friday’s 319 bettered the old record by seven strokes.
Additionally, three players tied the individual single-round mark with a 77. Anna Marshall fired a 77-78 to finish second overall and qualify as an individual for the NCCAA Nationals. Her total of 155 shattered the previous two-round record and also marked the first time a Grace player has carded two scores in the 70s.
Lauren Keiser and Sydney Abbott also shot a round of 77 to tie the school record. Keiser shot hers in the second round after firing an 85 on Friday, and Abbott produced her 77 on Friday to tie for first place after one round.
Marshall will be the second Lady Lancer to compete at NCCAA Nationals, joining Keiser, who played last year in Grace’s maiden season. Grace’s team is in the running as an at-large squad to the national tournament; the full field will be released in October.
Stevie Luebbert had a solid showing to finish third for Grace with an 80-84, and Libby Tully lowered her score by three strokes with an 89-86.
The Lady Lancers will head to Michigan on Tuesday to play at the Quail Ridge Invitational.
VOLLEYBALL
WINONA LAKE – The Grace College volleyball team picked up its first Crossroads League win of the year with a 3-1 victory over Goshen on Saturday.
The match was tightly contested from the first serve with three of the four sets going to extra points at the Manahan Orthopaedic Capital Center.
The Lady Lancers (6-7, 1-3 CL) came out firing in the opener, outhitting Goshen 16 kills to nine. Grace needed a late surge to take out the Maple Leafs (6-5, 2-2 CL) for a 26-24 win.
In the second set, Grace pulled ahead 17-12 and seemed poised to take a 2-0 set lead. Goshen had other plans, however.
The Maple Leafs used an 8-1 run to grab a 20-18 lead. The Lady Lancers bounced back and served for the set at 24-22. But Goshen managed to survive and earned an improbable 26-24 win with four straight points. Grace had 17 attack errors in the second game.
The third set provided another extra-points clash. Midway through the game, Goshen held an 18-12 advantage. Grace closed the gap and tied the score at 21, 22 and 23. The Maple Leafs served for the set, but Kari Feddema had kills on two straight set points to keep the Lady Lancers afloat. Grace used that momentum to end the set 27-25 on kills from Taylor Baird and Kelsee Zuidema.
The fourth set proved to be anticlimactic as the Lady Lancers coasted to a 10-point win to clinch the match. Grace had 16 kills in the set on a .295 percentage.
“The girls played really hard today. They worked together well and our entire defensive unit was in sync,” said Grace head coach Katie Van Hofwegen. “The girls have continued to dig deep and fight hard this season, so it was great to see them come out on top. I’m excited to build on this and carry our momentum into next week.”
As a team, Grace had 65 kills while holding Goshen to 43 kills on a .107 percentage. Baird exploded with a career-high 52 assists go go along with 11 digs and five kills.
Sierra Smith met a career-best with 18 kills, and Zuidema had a memorable match with 18 kills, 10 digs, two aces and three block assists.
Caylie Teel tallied 26 digs, and Tori Bontrager had her best outing of the year with 11 kills and five block assists. Kaitlin Kerrigan, Sara Miller, Alexa Hill, Zuidema, Baird and Teel all produced double-digit digs in a well-rounded defensive performance.
The Lady Lancers will be on the road this week, playing at Taylor, Spring Arbor and St. Francis.
MEN’S SOCCER
WINONA LAKE – Grace College’s men's soccer team continued its impressive start to the season with a 3-0 victory over Aquinas on Saturday.
The match was a rain-soaked affair at 1st Source Bank Field, especially in the first half. Overall, the Lancers (4-0-2) doubled up Aquinas on shots with a 20-10 advantage.
With the rain beginning its downpour during the starters' introductions, the first half was defined by the slick surface. Grace seemed to adapt better to the playing conditions and controlled much of the half. The Lancers took nine shots and had four corners before halftime.
Grace nearly netted in the second minute of action when Hector Torres's shot sailed just wide of the goalpost. Torres would find his moment at the end of the match, however.
Ten minutes into the match, Cody Boerema came close for Grace when his shot hit the post.
The Saints (1-3-2) managed five shots in the period but only one required a save by Grace's goalkeeper Robbie Barnhill.
Breno Oliveira put Grace ahead for good in the 41st minute. The sophomore found space from well outside the penalty box, and his long curled attempt glanced off the goalkeeper's gloves and into the corner of the net at the 40:39 mark.
The rain, which has slowed in the later stages of the first half, picked back up to start the second half. Grace's offense also seemed to pick up momentum after halftime; the Lancers fired 11 shots and five shots on goal in the second half.
Torres came close again for Grace in the 60th minute when his shot hit the goalpost, and the Saints threatened to strike back. Barnhill made a reflex save on an 18-yard shot from Aquinas, and the rebounded effort from close-range went wide of goal in the 65th minute.
Five minutes later, Grace doubled its advantage. Nikola Djordjevic won a header at midfield and passed to Damon Binkley. Binkley made a perfect leading pass to Boerema who streaked behind the Saints' defense, and Boerema beat the goalkeeper for his fourth goal in five games.
Grace won a number of free kicks near the penalty box in the second half and came close on several of those opportunities without scoring.
The insurance goal came with less than a minute to play. Dominic Harris played a ball across the box which fell untouched to Torres on the far side. Torres made the most of his chance with a well-struck volley into the back of the net, converting the first goal of his collegiate career.
Colin Cape and Binkley led Grace with four shots apiece, and Torres, Boerema and Oliveira each took three.
Barnhill picked up the shutout win with four saves. He was defended well throughout the match by Jon Sands, Jon Christensen, Brayton Taylor and Josiah Osborn.
The Lancers hit the road this week for matches on Friday and Saturday against Harris-Stowe (Mo.) and Bacone (Okla.). Grace will start its Crossroads League campaign on Sept. 24 at Bethel.
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