Grace College Roundup: Lancers Rally, Beat IWU
October 12, 2017 at 4:01 p.m.
Grace College Roundup: Lancers Rally, Beat IWU
By Josh Neuhart-
The Lancers (6-2-4, 3-0-1 Crossroads League) had to come back twice and did not score the game winner until the final minutes.
A corner kick in the 84th minute produced the winning moment. Breno Oliveira pounced on a loose ball in the penalty box and sent his volley into the back of the net, sprinting to Grace’s bench to join a raucous celebration.
The match was far from won, however. The Wildcats (4-6-2, 1-2-1 CL) responded with vengeance and nearly forced overtime. IWU tried four shots over the final 4:48, including a point-blank shot which Kurt Hamlin saved.
The win keeps Grace in second place in the league standings. The Lancers end the week traveling to St. Francis on Saturday for a 7 p.m. match.
The first half was packed with action on the slick pitch. IWU took the lead twice, but Grace equalized each time.
The first goal of the match came in controversial fashion. On a cross into the penalty box, Hamlin secured the loose ball and lost control after coming into contact with a Wildcat forward. IWU capitalized on the free ball and blasted in the opening goal.
The tying goal came four minutes later. After Grace was fouled on its attacking half of the field, Damon Binkley deftly headed the ball over IWU’s goalkeeper in the 14th minute.
IWU skillfully earned its second goal of the game with a well-worked combination play at the 16:33 mark, but Grace responded again.
Just before halftime, Cody Boerema tied the score. Togo Narusawa served up a long ball to Boerema behind IWU’s defensive line, and Boerema beat two defenders and placed his shot into the back of the net.
The match entered halftime tied 2-2. The Wildcats had a 9-5 shot advantage, and the Lancers had all three corner kicks in the half.
Boerema nearly scored again 15 minutes into the second half. Breno Oliveira crossed a long pass into the box, and Boerema’s low shot was saved.
For the match, IWU held a slight 18-17 shot advantage. The Lancers had six shots on goal, one more than the Wildcats, and Grace also outshot IWU 12-9 after halftime.
Hamlin finished the game with four saves in 90 minutes.
Volleyball
UPLAND – Grace’s volleyball team picked up a key victory at Taylor University on Wednesday, securing a season sweep of the Trojans with a 3-1 win.
The Lady Lancers (15-10, 8-5 Crossroads League) tightened their grip on third place in the league standings, moving 1.5 games ahead of Taylor.
Grace’s offense was dominant in the victory, smashing 54 kills on a .212 percentage. Caylie Teel had a career-high 18 kills on a .372 percentage to go along with 19 digs, and Savannah Hart was almost automatic with 11 kills on a .550 percentage.
Alexa Hill paced Grace’s attack with 45 assists and a career-high 21 digs.
Grace won the first two sets to take a commanding lead in the match. The Lady Lancers won 25-21 in the opener before smashing the Trojans (16-11, 7-7 CL) by the score of 25-15 in the second. Sierra Smith had two late kills to secure the first-game win.
Taylor stayed alive in the third set with a 25-14 victory, but Grace ended the match soon after.
With Grace holding a slight 12-11 advantage in the fourth set, the Lady Lancers surged ahead for good. The Lady Lancers ended the match on a 13-5 run to win 25-16. Teel put the final touches on a sparkling performance with a kill on the last rally.
Sara Miller had 20 digs defensively, and Gina Novotny added 15. Sierra Smith tallied 13 kills, and Kari Feddema added five kills and two block assists.
The Lady Lancers end the week with a tournament in Grand Rapids, Mich. Grace will play Northwestern Ohio, No. 16 Madonna, No. 18 Cornerstone and Aquinas in a challenging weekend.
The Lancers (6-2-4, 3-0-1 Crossroads League) had to come back twice and did not score the game winner until the final minutes.
A corner kick in the 84th minute produced the winning moment. Breno Oliveira pounced on a loose ball in the penalty box and sent his volley into the back of the net, sprinting to Grace’s bench to join a raucous celebration.
The match was far from won, however. The Wildcats (4-6-2, 1-2-1 CL) responded with vengeance and nearly forced overtime. IWU tried four shots over the final 4:48, including a point-blank shot which Kurt Hamlin saved.
The win keeps Grace in second place in the league standings. The Lancers end the week traveling to St. Francis on Saturday for a 7 p.m. match.
The first half was packed with action on the slick pitch. IWU took the lead twice, but Grace equalized each time.
The first goal of the match came in controversial fashion. On a cross into the penalty box, Hamlin secured the loose ball and lost control after coming into contact with a Wildcat forward. IWU capitalized on the free ball and blasted in the opening goal.
The tying goal came four minutes later. After Grace was fouled on its attacking half of the field, Damon Binkley deftly headed the ball over IWU’s goalkeeper in the 14th minute.
IWU skillfully earned its second goal of the game with a well-worked combination play at the 16:33 mark, but Grace responded again.
Just before halftime, Cody Boerema tied the score. Togo Narusawa served up a long ball to Boerema behind IWU’s defensive line, and Boerema beat two defenders and placed his shot into the back of the net.
The match entered halftime tied 2-2. The Wildcats had a 9-5 shot advantage, and the Lancers had all three corner kicks in the half.
Boerema nearly scored again 15 minutes into the second half. Breno Oliveira crossed a long pass into the box, and Boerema’s low shot was saved.
For the match, IWU held a slight 18-17 shot advantage. The Lancers had six shots on goal, one more than the Wildcats, and Grace also outshot IWU 12-9 after halftime.
Hamlin finished the game with four saves in 90 minutes.
Volleyball
UPLAND – Grace’s volleyball team picked up a key victory at Taylor University on Wednesday, securing a season sweep of the Trojans with a 3-1 win.
The Lady Lancers (15-10, 8-5 Crossroads League) tightened their grip on third place in the league standings, moving 1.5 games ahead of Taylor.
Grace’s offense was dominant in the victory, smashing 54 kills on a .212 percentage. Caylie Teel had a career-high 18 kills on a .372 percentage to go along with 19 digs, and Savannah Hart was almost automatic with 11 kills on a .550 percentage.
Alexa Hill paced Grace’s attack with 45 assists and a career-high 21 digs.
Grace won the first two sets to take a commanding lead in the match. The Lady Lancers won 25-21 in the opener before smashing the Trojans (16-11, 7-7 CL) by the score of 25-15 in the second. Sierra Smith had two late kills to secure the first-game win.
Taylor stayed alive in the third set with a 25-14 victory, but Grace ended the match soon after.
With Grace holding a slight 12-11 advantage in the fourth set, the Lady Lancers surged ahead for good. The Lady Lancers ended the match on a 13-5 run to win 25-16. Teel put the final touches on a sparkling performance with a kill on the last rally.
Sara Miller had 20 digs defensively, and Gina Novotny added 15. Sierra Smith tallied 13 kills, and Kari Feddema added five kills and two block assists.
The Lady Lancers end the week with a tournament in Grand Rapids, Mich. Grace will play Northwestern Ohio, No. 16 Madonna, No. 18 Cornerstone and Aquinas in a challenging weekend.
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