Late Heroics Earn Grace Best Start In Program History
October 2, 2022 at 9:10 p.m.
Late Heroics Earn Grace Best Start In Program History
By Grant Cook-
With the result, the Lancers (7-0-4, 2-0-1 Crossroads League) are now unbeaten through their first 11 games. It is the longest stretch to start a season in program history, surpassing a 10-game mark set in 1976.
Daniel Santos Rosa and Martim Sequeira played the role of hero in the contest, netting both of Grace’s goals in the final 15:59 of play.
The game was bookended with goals as only 3:54 had elapsed when the first goal was scored. Spring Arbor (4-3-4, 1-0-2 CL) was awarded a penalty kick after an early chance inside the box.
The Cougars scored on the PK to put them ahead of the No. 7 Lancers 1-0.
Energized by the early score, Spring Arbor kept up the intensity and had six of the game’s first seven shots. Matteo Conci made three saves to keep Grace within a goal.
The Lancers had three shots in the first half but failed to find the back of the net. Grace would enter halftime trailing, for just the second time this season.
Grace nearly matched the Cougars quick strike from the first half with one of their own in the second.
The Lancers pressured Spring Arbor’s defense into a turnover and Sequeira had a close range shot slide wide of the net.
Grace’s near chance in the early moments fueled the Lancers as they were relentless with their offensive attack over the next ten minutes.
Despite Grace seemingly grasping the momentum back in their favor, Spring Arbor would score on one of its first chances in the second half, doubling their lead with 32 minutes left in the game.
The Lancers regained their composure and continued their offensive onslaught desperate to draw within one as the clock ticked under 20 minutes.
Grace survived a pair of chances on a quick counter attack from Spring Arbor. Conci made a pair of sprawling saves to keep the deficit at two.
The Cougars were forced to play the final 19:11 of the game a man down after an aggressive collision drew a red card on a Spring Arbor midfielder.
Grace quickly capitalized on the man advantage netting their first goal of the game.
Scanferlato Simone made a pair of tremendous touches that pushed the ball deep into Grace's attacking territory. Felipe Gruber then sent a short cross to Daniel Santos Rosa who finished the ball with authority to cut the Lancers deficit in half.
The chances began to pile up for Grace as they used the man advantage to pepper the Cougars net with chances from every angle. The Lancers were authoritative with their attacks but it appeared as if the tying marker would not come.
In a final desperate attack, Juan Camilo Garcia sent a long-lofted shot on the Cougars net with just 55 seconds remaining.
The shot seemed to tie the SAU goalie up as the ball bounced off his hands right to the feet of Sequeira. The senior forward alertly capitalized on the chance, scoring his 11th goal of the season and drawing Grace even at two.
The final seconds expired from the clock as Grace secured the dramatic draw.
For the game, Spring Arbor out shot Grace 11-10 and the teams combined for 30 fouls. Conci made saves in the start for the Lancers.
Grace will be off a week before returning to action with a home contest against Huntington on Saturday. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. at 1st Source Bank Field.
No. 20 Grace misses chances vs No. 2 SAU
WINONA LAKE - Grace’s women’s soccer team was unable to convert its shots during a narrow 1-0 loss against No. 2 Spring Arbor on Saturday.
The No. 20 Lady Lancers did not hurt for chances, outshooting SAU 15-11 in the match. But Grace struggled to find the back of the net with their attempts and fell by one in the Top-25 clash.
It was a tale of two halves at 1st Source Bank Field. Grace’s attack was quiet in the first half while SAU had more chances.
Playing in front of a packed Homecoming crowd, Grace earned an early chance when Danae Moriarty found a shot in the box during the first minute. But her shot was wide of the goal.
Both teams had a few chances in the opening 15 minutes, but neither team could find an early goal.
The Cougars jumped on the scoreboard first, cleaning up a scrum in the box after a corner kick in the 28th minute.
That goal proved to be the only tally of the half. Grace’s offense was largely muted as the Cougars’ physical play kept Grace from building its usual possession attack. SAU picked up nine fouls with a yellow card before halftime.
Luna Gianotti had Grace’s only other shot attempt of the first half when her attempt off a set piece was off target.
Grace’s possession seemed more cohesive to begin the second half, but the Lady Lancers were unable to produce a shot for the first 15 minutes of the half.
Grace’s first chance came on a deep free kick, but the attempt went wide of the net.
Grace’s chances continued to amass as the half wore on. Moriarty got another attempt from outside the box that whisked wide of the net.
Lilli Oberhoff generated several dangerous moments with her advanced play along the left side of the field.
JJ Aalbue gained back-to-back free kicks from just outside the box. The second resulted in a close header from Madison Tuma that missed the mark.
Moriarty continued to be a nuisance against the Cougars’ defense, dribbling her way through the backline several times. She tried two more shots over the final eight minutes that were denied.
Aalbue, Simone Castaneda and Tuma also fired off shots across the closing minutes that did not convert into game-tying attempts.
The Cougars managed to play out the final minute of regulation, escaping with the 1-0 victory.
Grace had a 15-11 advantage in shot attempts; the Cougars had the advantage in fouls by 19-11. The Lady Lancers outshot SAU 13-3 after halftime.
The Lady Lancers have one match next week, playing at Huntington on Oct. 8.
Grace runners set records in Louisville
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - A pair of records highlighted an impressive day for Grace’s cross country teams on Saturday.
The Lancers ran well at the massive Louisville Classic with the men taking fifth place and the women nabbing 12th. The men’s race had 416 competitors, while the women had 419 runners.
The men’s side as a whole set a new team time record at 2:05:47. It shattered the previous record for team time by 2 minutes, 40 seconds.
The women also did well, beating last year’s team time at the Louisville race by two minutes.
Heather Plastow earned the individual highlight, setting a new school record for a 5k race when she crossed the finish line in 18:15.
Kylie Sauder (18:25) was not far behind Plastow, and Esther Cameron (19:04) almost had another sub-19 time for the No. 8-ranked Lady Lancers.
Anna Hulstedt (19:44), Katie Acker (19:49) and Morgan Welch (20:00) finished close together, as did the final quartet of Mallory Hiatt (20:42), Caroline Kolb (20:45), Tara Friesen (20:50) and Cassandra Cross (21:06).
The women beat out No. 12 Aquinas, No. 14 Montreat, No. 19 Benedictine and No. 20 Cumberlands among other stiff competition. The Lady Lancers also beat out several NCAA Div. I opponents like Purdue Fort Wayne, Mercer and Northern Kentucky.
The men’s team time impressed against a stacked field. The No. 10 Lancers beat No. 8 Cornerstone, No. 13 St. Francis (Ill.), No. 14 Montreat, No. 18 Spring Arbor, No. 19 Taylor, No. 20 Olivet Nazarene, No. 21 Shawnee State, No. 23 Huntington as well as NCAA Div. I opponents Xavier, Kennesaw State, Marshall and Samford among others.
Bryan Hernandez-Rios led the way for Grace by placing fifth out of 416 runners at 24:22.
Cole Johnston (25:01) and Logan Rufenacht (25:06) finished in close succession, and Dimitri Margaritidis (25:18) was not far off that pace. Korry Hamlin (25:58) also had a sub-26 time.
Hayden Mullett (26:43) and Caden Ringer (26:58) completed the top-seven for the Lancers. Brady Hunsberger (27:06) and Dakota Ames (27:39) rounded out Grace’s runners.
“This is a good step for both squads as we got a taste of some larger-sized racing. This will benefit us later in November. We saw a lot to work on as well as we inch closer to our championship portion of the season,” said Grace head coach Jake Poyner. “I’m especially proud of how our men raced in their execution of our game plan. Their team time, points and placement as a team showcased a very solid team effort.”
The Lancers race again on Friday for the Bethel Invitational in South Bend.
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With the result, the Lancers (7-0-4, 2-0-1 Crossroads League) are now unbeaten through their first 11 games. It is the longest stretch to start a season in program history, surpassing a 10-game mark set in 1976.
Daniel Santos Rosa and Martim Sequeira played the role of hero in the contest, netting both of Grace’s goals in the final 15:59 of play.
The game was bookended with goals as only 3:54 had elapsed when the first goal was scored. Spring Arbor (4-3-4, 1-0-2 CL) was awarded a penalty kick after an early chance inside the box.
The Cougars scored on the PK to put them ahead of the No. 7 Lancers 1-0.
Energized by the early score, Spring Arbor kept up the intensity and had six of the game’s first seven shots. Matteo Conci made three saves to keep Grace within a goal.
The Lancers had three shots in the first half but failed to find the back of the net. Grace would enter halftime trailing, for just the second time this season.
Grace nearly matched the Cougars quick strike from the first half with one of their own in the second.
The Lancers pressured Spring Arbor’s defense into a turnover and Sequeira had a close range shot slide wide of the net.
Grace’s near chance in the early moments fueled the Lancers as they were relentless with their offensive attack over the next ten minutes.
Despite Grace seemingly grasping the momentum back in their favor, Spring Arbor would score on one of its first chances in the second half, doubling their lead with 32 minutes left in the game.
The Lancers regained their composure and continued their offensive onslaught desperate to draw within one as the clock ticked under 20 minutes.
Grace survived a pair of chances on a quick counter attack from Spring Arbor. Conci made a pair of sprawling saves to keep the deficit at two.
The Cougars were forced to play the final 19:11 of the game a man down after an aggressive collision drew a red card on a Spring Arbor midfielder.
Grace quickly capitalized on the man advantage netting their first goal of the game.
Scanferlato Simone made a pair of tremendous touches that pushed the ball deep into Grace's attacking territory. Felipe Gruber then sent a short cross to Daniel Santos Rosa who finished the ball with authority to cut the Lancers deficit in half.
The chances began to pile up for Grace as they used the man advantage to pepper the Cougars net with chances from every angle. The Lancers were authoritative with their attacks but it appeared as if the tying marker would not come.
In a final desperate attack, Juan Camilo Garcia sent a long-lofted shot on the Cougars net with just 55 seconds remaining.
The shot seemed to tie the SAU goalie up as the ball bounced off his hands right to the feet of Sequeira. The senior forward alertly capitalized on the chance, scoring his 11th goal of the season and drawing Grace even at two.
The final seconds expired from the clock as Grace secured the dramatic draw.
For the game, Spring Arbor out shot Grace 11-10 and the teams combined for 30 fouls. Conci made saves in the start for the Lancers.
Grace will be off a week before returning to action with a home contest against Huntington on Saturday. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. at 1st Source Bank Field.
No. 20 Grace misses chances vs No. 2 SAU
WINONA LAKE - Grace’s women’s soccer team was unable to convert its shots during a narrow 1-0 loss against No. 2 Spring Arbor on Saturday.
The No. 20 Lady Lancers did not hurt for chances, outshooting SAU 15-11 in the match. But Grace struggled to find the back of the net with their attempts and fell by one in the Top-25 clash.
It was a tale of two halves at 1st Source Bank Field. Grace’s attack was quiet in the first half while SAU had more chances.
Playing in front of a packed Homecoming crowd, Grace earned an early chance when Danae Moriarty found a shot in the box during the first minute. But her shot was wide of the goal.
Both teams had a few chances in the opening 15 minutes, but neither team could find an early goal.
The Cougars jumped on the scoreboard first, cleaning up a scrum in the box after a corner kick in the 28th minute.
That goal proved to be the only tally of the half. Grace’s offense was largely muted as the Cougars’ physical play kept Grace from building its usual possession attack. SAU picked up nine fouls with a yellow card before halftime.
Luna Gianotti had Grace’s only other shot attempt of the first half when her attempt off a set piece was off target.
Grace’s possession seemed more cohesive to begin the second half, but the Lady Lancers were unable to produce a shot for the first 15 minutes of the half.
Grace’s first chance came on a deep free kick, but the attempt went wide of the net.
Grace’s chances continued to amass as the half wore on. Moriarty got another attempt from outside the box that whisked wide of the net.
Lilli Oberhoff generated several dangerous moments with her advanced play along the left side of the field.
JJ Aalbue gained back-to-back free kicks from just outside the box. The second resulted in a close header from Madison Tuma that missed the mark.
Moriarty continued to be a nuisance against the Cougars’ defense, dribbling her way through the backline several times. She tried two more shots over the final eight minutes that were denied.
Aalbue, Simone Castaneda and Tuma also fired off shots across the closing minutes that did not convert into game-tying attempts.
The Cougars managed to play out the final minute of regulation, escaping with the 1-0 victory.
Grace had a 15-11 advantage in shot attempts; the Cougars had the advantage in fouls by 19-11. The Lady Lancers outshot SAU 13-3 after halftime.
The Lady Lancers have one match next week, playing at Huntington on Oct. 8.
Grace runners set records in Louisville
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - A pair of records highlighted an impressive day for Grace’s cross country teams on Saturday.
The Lancers ran well at the massive Louisville Classic with the men taking fifth place and the women nabbing 12th. The men’s race had 416 competitors, while the women had 419 runners.
The men’s side as a whole set a new team time record at 2:05:47. It shattered the previous record for team time by 2 minutes, 40 seconds.
The women also did well, beating last year’s team time at the Louisville race by two minutes.
Heather Plastow earned the individual highlight, setting a new school record for a 5k race when she crossed the finish line in 18:15.
Kylie Sauder (18:25) was not far behind Plastow, and Esther Cameron (19:04) almost had another sub-19 time for the No. 8-ranked Lady Lancers.
Anna Hulstedt (19:44), Katie Acker (19:49) and Morgan Welch (20:00) finished close together, as did the final quartet of Mallory Hiatt (20:42), Caroline Kolb (20:45), Tara Friesen (20:50) and Cassandra Cross (21:06).
The women beat out No. 12 Aquinas, No. 14 Montreat, No. 19 Benedictine and No. 20 Cumberlands among other stiff competition. The Lady Lancers also beat out several NCAA Div. I opponents like Purdue Fort Wayne, Mercer and Northern Kentucky.
The men’s team time impressed against a stacked field. The No. 10 Lancers beat No. 8 Cornerstone, No. 13 St. Francis (Ill.), No. 14 Montreat, No. 18 Spring Arbor, No. 19 Taylor, No. 20 Olivet Nazarene, No. 21 Shawnee State, No. 23 Huntington as well as NCAA Div. I opponents Xavier, Kennesaw State, Marshall and Samford among others.
Bryan Hernandez-Rios led the way for Grace by placing fifth out of 416 runners at 24:22.
Cole Johnston (25:01) and Logan Rufenacht (25:06) finished in close succession, and Dimitri Margaritidis (25:18) was not far off that pace. Korry Hamlin (25:58) also had a sub-26 time.
Hayden Mullett (26:43) and Caden Ringer (26:58) completed the top-seven for the Lancers. Brady Hunsberger (27:06) and Dakota Ames (27:39) rounded out Grace’s runners.
“This is a good step for both squads as we got a taste of some larger-sized racing. This will benefit us later in November. We saw a lot to work on as well as we inch closer to our championship portion of the season,” said Grace head coach Jake Poyner. “I’m especially proud of how our men raced in their execution of our game plan. Their team time, points and placement as a team showcased a very solid team effort.”
The Lancers race again on Friday for the Bethel Invitational in South Bend.
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