Lady Lancer Soccer Sinks No. 18 Spring Arbor University
October 18, 2019 at 1:22 a.m.
Lady Lancer Soccer Sinks No. 18 Spring Arbor University
By Grace College Sports Information-
The No. 17 Lady Lancers (13-2-1, 5-1-1 Crossroads League) used goals from Baylei Peters and Cassidy Wasson in a dismantling of the Cougars (7-4-4, 3-1-3 CL).
The game started at a quick pace despite the slick pitch. A slow, light drizzle turned into windy sheets of rain as the first half progressed.
No shot was taken for the first 10 minutes despite the fast pace, although Grace threatened early.
The Lady Lancers made two dangerous runs at SAU’s goal — once through Alexis Larimore and once through JJ Aalbue. But each time the pass into the penalty box did not find a striker.
Aalbue made another deep run through SAU’s defense and crossed to Liz Van Wormer, but her short-range shot missed the mark.
The Cougars did their best to threaten off the counterattack but were mostly limited to a handful of set pieces.
Grace held a 6-4 edge in shots before halftime and had all three corner kicks.
The second half was a clinic in possession soccer. The Lady Lancers controlled the ball for the vast majority of play, probing the Cougars’ backline and eventually breaking through with a pair of goals.
Ten minutes into the half, Sacia Hanson initiated an attack by dribbling through the middle of SAU’s defense. Corinne Villalobos then passed to Van Wormer, but her shot misfired.
Seven minutes later, Van Wormer put a well-placed cross into the box that seemed to sit in front of the goal for an eternity. But SAU’s goalkeeper gobbled up the loose ball just before Grace pounced on it.
A minute after that, Aalbue fired a low shot that was bobbled and then saved. Taylor Fort also had a high cross in the box toward Peters, but SAU’s goalkeeper did well to intercept the ball in the final instant.
In the 74th minute, the Cougars’ backline finally broke. Aalbue crossed toward goal, and Peters won the first touch. Her first shot under pressure was blocked and she fell to the turf. The ball floated towards Peters, and she alertly performed a bicycle kick while lying on the ground to put the ball into the back of the net.
The Cougars were unable to generate much of a response as Grace’s midfield and backline moved the ball in a quick, efficient manner.
In the 87th minute, Grace found an insurance goal. Van Wormer put a right-footed cross into the box. Wasson muscled out her defender and beat the goalkeeper with a shot to make the score 2-0.
SAU was almost completely silenced offensively in the second half. The Cougars’ only two shot attempts came in the final 95 seconds of the game, with both shots well outside the penalty box.
For the match, Grace owned a 13-6 shot edge. Grace also had four of the five corner kicks in the game.
Bethany Blackwood earned the shutout with four saves. She was guarded well by Lea Moessinger, Anna Kuhl, Hannah Tkacz, McKenna Cruz and Brooke Kohler.
Villalobos tried four shots, and Van Wormer shot three times.
The Lady Lancers remain at home on Saturday against St. Francis. The 7 p.m. game at 1st Source Bank Field will also be Senior Night to honor Grace’s graduating class.
Grace Spikers Top MVNU In Five-Set Thriller
WINONA LAKE, Ind. – The Grace women’s volleyball team rallied from an early deficit to claim a five-set victory over Mt. Vernon Nazarene on Wednesday.
Powered by a career-high 63 assists from Alexa Hill, Makaela Lochmueller’s career-best 21 kills and a double-double from freshman Jadyn Block, the Lady Lancers (14-13, 8-4 Crossroads League) secured their third straight win in conference play.
Grace is now tied for third place in the Crossroads League standings with MVNU and St. Francis; only five league contests are left in the regular season.
Foreshadowing the rest of the match, the first set was tightly contested. Each time traded blows with neither team pulling ahead quickly.
The Cougars (21-6, 8-4 CL) were the first to pull away, snatching a three-point lead and never giving it back.
Makayla Bell and Lochmueller produced some pivotal kills, but the Cougars countered every run and took the set 25-19.
Grace put on a defensive clinic in the second set. The Lady Lancers slowed the Cougar attack with diving efforts from Gina Novotny and Bell that propelled the offense to an early 6-2 lead.
Grace stretched the lead to nine, prompting a Cougar timeout.
Spurred on by sprawling defensive efforts from Hill, Block and Caroline Mayer, the offense unleashed an efficient attack at a .447 clip to maintain the lead.
Despite a late push from the Cougars, the Lady Lancers claimed the 25-21 victory on a kill from Lochmueller.
The offense picked up right where it left off, taking an early lead in the third set on back-to-back kills from Lochmueller and Deborah Michalski.
The Cougars responded with a strong offensive attack that left the Lancers with a five-point deficit to overcome.
The Lady Lancers chipped away, with an ace from Novotny and huge kill from Katie Swanson. However, MVNU countered any sign of a comeback, taking the set by a score of 25-20.
In the most dramatic set yet, the Lady Lancers rallied in the fourth set with their backs against the wall. Despite the Cougars taking an early lead, the Lady Lancer attack came out strong.
Corynne Aelker produced two kills right away, and a block point from Block and Lochmueller showed the Lady Lancers were beginning to dominate at the net.
Lochmueller showed no signs of slowing down, with two kills early on. Katie Swanson was strong on the outside, swinging hard and producing several crucial kills.
With the offense clicking, Grace built a six-point lead. But the Cougars battled back to tie the score at 17.
Ultimately, the Lady Lancer offense was too much to handle. Lochmueller and Block teamed up to record six kills in the last seven Lady Lancer points, winning the set 25-20.
Grace Erwin opened the deciding fifth set with an ace, firing up an electric Lady Lancer sideline.
Another ace, this time from Emily Sharp, propelled Grace to a 4-2 lead that they would not relinquish.
Swanson had three crucial kills down the stretch, and Lochmueller fired two kills to clinch the match by a score of 15-12.
Lochmueller produced 21 kills on a .439 percentage, adding two solo blocks and a block assist. Bell recorded 10 kills.
Block scored a double-double with 12 kills and 11 digs, and Aelker added nine kills.
The busy Lady Lancer defense was led by Novotny (22 digs), Erwin (21 digs) and Sharp (14 digs).
Hill recorded 63 assists, 8 digs and 4 kills. Her 63 assists broke her previous career high of 60, and it marked the 10th-most assists by any player in the NAIA this season.
The Lady Lancers travel to Michigan on Friday to take on Spring Arbor at 7 p.m.
The No. 17 Lady Lancers (13-2-1, 5-1-1 Crossroads League) used goals from Baylei Peters and Cassidy Wasson in a dismantling of the Cougars (7-4-4, 3-1-3 CL).
The game started at a quick pace despite the slick pitch. A slow, light drizzle turned into windy sheets of rain as the first half progressed.
No shot was taken for the first 10 minutes despite the fast pace, although Grace threatened early.
The Lady Lancers made two dangerous runs at SAU’s goal — once through Alexis Larimore and once through JJ Aalbue. But each time the pass into the penalty box did not find a striker.
Aalbue made another deep run through SAU’s defense and crossed to Liz Van Wormer, but her short-range shot missed the mark.
The Cougars did their best to threaten off the counterattack but were mostly limited to a handful of set pieces.
Grace held a 6-4 edge in shots before halftime and had all three corner kicks.
The second half was a clinic in possession soccer. The Lady Lancers controlled the ball for the vast majority of play, probing the Cougars’ backline and eventually breaking through with a pair of goals.
Ten minutes into the half, Sacia Hanson initiated an attack by dribbling through the middle of SAU’s defense. Corinne Villalobos then passed to Van Wormer, but her shot misfired.
Seven minutes later, Van Wormer put a well-placed cross into the box that seemed to sit in front of the goal for an eternity. But SAU’s goalkeeper gobbled up the loose ball just before Grace pounced on it.
A minute after that, Aalbue fired a low shot that was bobbled and then saved. Taylor Fort also had a high cross in the box toward Peters, but SAU’s goalkeeper did well to intercept the ball in the final instant.
In the 74th minute, the Cougars’ backline finally broke. Aalbue crossed toward goal, and Peters won the first touch. Her first shot under pressure was blocked and she fell to the turf. The ball floated towards Peters, and she alertly performed a bicycle kick while lying on the ground to put the ball into the back of the net.
The Cougars were unable to generate much of a response as Grace’s midfield and backline moved the ball in a quick, efficient manner.
In the 87th minute, Grace found an insurance goal. Van Wormer put a right-footed cross into the box. Wasson muscled out her defender and beat the goalkeeper with a shot to make the score 2-0.
SAU was almost completely silenced offensively in the second half. The Cougars’ only two shot attempts came in the final 95 seconds of the game, with both shots well outside the penalty box.
For the match, Grace owned a 13-6 shot edge. Grace also had four of the five corner kicks in the game.
Bethany Blackwood earned the shutout with four saves. She was guarded well by Lea Moessinger, Anna Kuhl, Hannah Tkacz, McKenna Cruz and Brooke Kohler.
Villalobos tried four shots, and Van Wormer shot three times.
The Lady Lancers remain at home on Saturday against St. Francis. The 7 p.m. game at 1st Source Bank Field will also be Senior Night to honor Grace’s graduating class.
Grace Spikers Top MVNU In Five-Set Thriller
WINONA LAKE, Ind. – The Grace women’s volleyball team rallied from an early deficit to claim a five-set victory over Mt. Vernon Nazarene on Wednesday.
Powered by a career-high 63 assists from Alexa Hill, Makaela Lochmueller’s career-best 21 kills and a double-double from freshman Jadyn Block, the Lady Lancers (14-13, 8-4 Crossroads League) secured their third straight win in conference play.
Grace is now tied for third place in the Crossroads League standings with MVNU and St. Francis; only five league contests are left in the regular season.
Foreshadowing the rest of the match, the first set was tightly contested. Each time traded blows with neither team pulling ahead quickly.
The Cougars (21-6, 8-4 CL) were the first to pull away, snatching a three-point lead and never giving it back.
Makayla Bell and Lochmueller produced some pivotal kills, but the Cougars countered every run and took the set 25-19.
Grace put on a defensive clinic in the second set. The Lady Lancers slowed the Cougar attack with diving efforts from Gina Novotny and Bell that propelled the offense to an early 6-2 lead.
Grace stretched the lead to nine, prompting a Cougar timeout.
Spurred on by sprawling defensive efforts from Hill, Block and Caroline Mayer, the offense unleashed an efficient attack at a .447 clip to maintain the lead.
Despite a late push from the Cougars, the Lady Lancers claimed the 25-21 victory on a kill from Lochmueller.
The offense picked up right where it left off, taking an early lead in the third set on back-to-back kills from Lochmueller and Deborah Michalski.
The Cougars responded with a strong offensive attack that left the Lancers with a five-point deficit to overcome.
The Lady Lancers chipped away, with an ace from Novotny and huge kill from Katie Swanson. However, MVNU countered any sign of a comeback, taking the set by a score of 25-20.
In the most dramatic set yet, the Lady Lancers rallied in the fourth set with their backs against the wall. Despite the Cougars taking an early lead, the Lady Lancer attack came out strong.
Corynne Aelker produced two kills right away, and a block point from Block and Lochmueller showed the Lady Lancers were beginning to dominate at the net.
Lochmueller showed no signs of slowing down, with two kills early on. Katie Swanson was strong on the outside, swinging hard and producing several crucial kills.
With the offense clicking, Grace built a six-point lead. But the Cougars battled back to tie the score at 17.
Ultimately, the Lady Lancer offense was too much to handle. Lochmueller and Block teamed up to record six kills in the last seven Lady Lancer points, winning the set 25-20.
Grace Erwin opened the deciding fifth set with an ace, firing up an electric Lady Lancer sideline.
Another ace, this time from Emily Sharp, propelled Grace to a 4-2 lead that they would not relinquish.
Swanson had three crucial kills down the stretch, and Lochmueller fired two kills to clinch the match by a score of 15-12.
Lochmueller produced 21 kills on a .439 percentage, adding two solo blocks and a block assist. Bell recorded 10 kills.
Block scored a double-double with 12 kills and 11 digs, and Aelker added nine kills.
The busy Lady Lancer defense was led by Novotny (22 digs), Erwin (21 digs) and Sharp (14 digs).
Hill recorded 63 assists, 8 digs and 4 kills. Her 63 assists broke her previous career high of 60, and it marked the 10th-most assists by any player in the NAIA this season.
The Lady Lancers travel to Michigan on Friday to take on Spring Arbor at 7 p.m.
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