WINONA LAKE, Ind. - A late goal prevented Grace’s men’s soccer team from claiming a victory against William Woods in the 2024 season opener on Thursday.
Grace led for nearly 70 minutes of the match, but the Owls found an equalizer in the 89th minute as the teams shared the 1-1 result on the scoreboard.
The first half was a possession battle between the teams; each side moved the ball around the pitch as the teams gained familiarity with each other.
Just six shots were attempted before halftime, but Grace had the only goal.
In the 20th minute, Kyle Holwerda generated a goal out of pure hustle. Holwerda picked the pocket of the Owls’ goalkeeper, then cleverly scored Grace’s first goal of the season.
Holwerda nearly scored again when his headed effort in the penalty box went wide of the goal.
Grace had four of the six shot attempts in the half and all four corner kicks.
The offensive energy ramped up in the second half for both teams, as did the physicality. Three yellow cards were issued over the final 20 minutes.
Seven minutes into the second half, Grace was inches from doubling its lead. Seongwhi Lee found a clearing for a shot after receiving a scintillating pass from Juan Garcia, but Lee’s shot struck the crossbar.
Twenty minutes later, Grace found the crossbar again. A corner kick from Daniel Santos Rosa connected with Vasco Tavares, but his lofted header glanced softly off the bar.
Josh Cruz also had a handful of dangerous shots to head up Grace’s attack, and Santos Rosa proved to be reliably dangerous during Grace’s advances.
The equalizing moment came off the Owls’ lone corner kick of the match with less than two minutes to play. Miles Andrews fired a deep attempt from outside the box that weaved through a crowded penalty area to find the back of the net.
Neither team could find a winner over the final frantic minute, and the match ended in a draw.
Cruz and Holwerda led Grace with three shots apiece. Santos Rosa and Garcia also had shots on goal.
The match saw the Lancer debuts for Tavares, Nathan Van Keulen, Pedro Pina Simon, Joao Pereira, Joao Laranjo, Sebastian Lozano and Julian Saldivar.
The Lancers finished the match with a 12-10 edge in shots and a 9-1 advantage in corner kicks.
Grace plays again quickly at home for a much-anticipated match with No. 13 Mid-America Christian. The match on Saturday will kick off at 1 p.m. at 1st Source Bank Field.
The match with MACU begins a stretch of four straight ranked outings for the Lancers — all of which are ranked No. 13 or better.