MARION - Grace College’s men’s soccer team once again used late heroics to overcome a multi-goal deficit in its 2-2 draw with No. 20 Indiana Wesleyan on Saturday night.
This matchup marked the third consecutive game between Grace (8-2-1, 2-0-1 Crossroads League) and IWU that ended in a draw.
The game had deliberate pace at the beginning of play as the two top 20 teams looked to land the first blow. The Wildcats (10-1-1, 2-0-1 CL) had the game’s lone shot through the first 20 minutes of play.
In the 22nd minute, Grace had a flurry of chances, but the fourth ranked Lancers were unable to beat the Wildcat defense.
When the first goal finally came in the first half, it opened the offensive floodgates.
Wesleyan opened the scoring with a shot from the top of the box that took a deflection and bounced past Matteo Conci to give the Wildcats the lead.
Two minutes and seventeen seconds later the Wildcats struck again. This time IWU used deceive passing to create a dangerous scoring chance which they capitalized on to put the Lancers in a 2-0 deficit.
With all the momentum seemingly in the Wildcats favor, Josh Cruz and Martim Sequeira teamed up to cut the deficit in half.
Josh Cruz dribbled the ball deep into the Wildcats end of the field and fired a low crossing pass through the box which Sequeira settled and then blasted past the IWU keeper to pull back with one just 38 seconds after the Wildcats’ second marker.
With a little over a minute left in the half, Sequeira nearly drew the game even as he blasted a shot on goal with an acrobatic header, but the Wildcat goalie was up to task and the game entered the intermission with the Lancers down 2-1.
The stat sheet was nearly identical in the first half, with the Wildcats holding a narrow advantage in shots (5-4) and corner kicks (2-1).
The second half started with a pair of chances for IWU, including a shot snuck past Conci but ricocheted off the far post and away from danger.
10 minutes later the Lancers drew even as Sequeira continued his torrid offensive streak.
Flavio Cruz played a crossing pass to the near post, and Sequeira expertly headed it across the goal mouth and into the far corner of the net to tie the game at two goals apiece.
The goal marked Sequeira’s 10th of the season and extended his goal streak to four games. It was also the third time this season he has scored multiple goals in a single game.
After the game tying goal, neither team could find any separation. The teams traded corner kicks and shots down the stretch, but the deadlock wouldn’t be broken as the top 20 clash ended in a 2-2 draw.
Grace was at 14-8 shot disadvantage, but both teams put five shots on goal. Conci made three saves in the start.
The Lancers next time out will be on Saturday as they travel to Indianapolis to take on the Knights at 2 p.m. on Saturday.

Lady Lancers Produce Draw With No. 9 IWU
WINONA LAKE - Grace’s women’s soccer team enjoyed its most complete performance of the season on Saturday, tying No. 9 Indiana Wesleyan 1-1.
The Lancers went toe-to-toe with the Wildcats for the full 90 minutes, impressing with their possession and defending of the high-scoring IWU squad.
Both teams scored on their first shots of the match. The Wildcats converted early in the fourth minute, scoring a header after a corner kick.
The Wildcats were aggressive in their press during the opening minutes, keeping Grace pinned back into their defensive end.
IWU had another headed effort shortly after their goal, but Sofia Williams made a strong save to keep the score at 1-0.
But as the half continued, Grace’s confidence seemed to grow. The Lancers began to possess the ball more fluidly as IWU’s attack slowed.
The Lancers’ first shot of the match came with eight minutes left in the half. Abby Hodkin passed to Lilli Oberhoff who dribbled toward IWU’s penalty box. With space in front of her, Oberhoff let a long shot fly and beat the goalkeeper from 23 yards away.
Rosalie Gefrorer also tried a deep shot that was saved in the closing minutes, and the match went into halftime even at 1-1.
Tactics changed in the second half as Grace controlled large portions of the game. The Lancers’ defense largely limited any chances for the Wildcats, who had little time on the ball.
Grace’s possession was in full display after halftime; the Lancers passed the ball with skill, creating several scoring chances.
Grace tried five shots in the first 12 minutes of the second half, including shots from Gefrorer, Oberhoff and Feline Abbo.
The Wildcats did their best to generate offense, but Grace’s defending was stout. Jasmin Slump, Megan DeBoest and Elizabeth Maciejewski handled IWU’s physical forwards and prevented the Wildcats from scoring again.
With 16 minutes to play, Rylee Burns made an aggressive run at the Wildcats’ goal. The freshman split a pair of Wildcat defenders and unleashed a shot from the edge of the penalty box that whizzed high of the goal.
With five minutes left, Oberhoff also tried a deep shot with her attempt going high as well.
The match concluded with the score level at 1-1.
IWU held a slight 11-10 edge in shot attempts, but Grace outshot the Wildcats 8-4 in the second half. Gefrorer led all players with four shots, and Oberhoff had three shots.
Williams made four saves in goal for Grace.
The Lancers return home in a week for Homecoming Saturday. Grace will host No. 6 Marian for a 2 p.m. start at 1st Source Bank Field.

Volleyball Handles Maple Leafs With Sweep
GOSHEN - Grace’s volleyball team registered its 15th win of the season thanks to a sweep of Goshen on Saturday.
The Lancers (15-6, 6-4 Crossroads League) collected their second straight win after dispatching Huntington in four sets on Friday night.
In the opening set, Grace was ultra efficient with its offense (12 kills, .321 percentage).
Early in the set, the Lancers ran off five straight points to open up a slight lead. Grace maintained a cushion, but Goshen used a 5-0 run of its own to propel in front 17-15.
But a well-placed timeout got Grace back on track. Grace quickly raced ahead 20-18 after an ace from Jadyn Ross, and the Lancers coasted to a 25-20 victory.
Grace quickly doubled up Goshen at 10-5 in the second set. The Lancers held a comfortable margin until the end, winning 25-17.
The Lancers had 11 kills on a .206 percentage in the set.
The third set was a similar story. Grace jumped in front early with a 9-4 edge. The Maple Leafs struggled to generate a comeback, coming no closer than four points for the rest of the set.
Grace secured the sweep with a 25-18 victory, ending the match with a kill from Claire Jackson.
For the match, Grace had 37 kills on a .264 percentage. The Lancers never hit less than .200 as a team in any of the three sets.
Ross finished with a match-high 12 kills on a .391 percentage, tacking on 8 digs, 1 block assist and 1 ace.
Anna Ballengee ripped off eight kills on 16 swings (.438 percentage), and Alisha Leffring had six kills on nine swings (.556 percentage) while adding two block assists.
Livia Tate finished with six kills, McKenzie Stakely amassed 11 digs, and Liz Schmidt had two aces and five digs.
Morgan Syoen tallied 19 assists and three digs, Riley Owens had 10 assists and three digs, and Emma Blackford chipped in six digs.
The Lancers are home for their next match, hosting Bethel on Wednesday at 7 p.m.