WINONA LAKE – Grace College’s men’s soccer team was desperately in need of a win, and freshman Steven Fiema helped deliver as his hat trick highlighted a 4-1 victory over Spring Arbor. The Lancers (8-4-2; 3-2-2 Crossroads League) scored three unanswered goals in the second half to run away from the Cougars (11-3-2; 4-1-2 CL). Grace currently sits in a tie for third place in the standings with only two CL matches to play. “We played a composed game against a strong Spring Arbor team today. We really focused on personal accountability and good communication to help us stay together for the full 90 minutes,” said Grace head coach Matt Hotchkin. “I was proud of our guys today. We have been inconsistent lately, almost feeling like a boxer on the ropes, and our guys came prepared to compete today.” Austin Altimus nearly scored in the first two minutes of action when his shot beat the goalkeeper but bounced off the crossbar. Fiema collected his first goal of the game at the 14:14 mark. Gift Sibukome chipped a pass over the defense to Fiema, who rolled his shot to the side of the Cougars’ goalkeeper and into the net. Both teams had chances to add to the scoring before halftime as Grace and Spring Arbor tallied nine shots apiece. The Cougars missed on a golden opportunity to score when a shot from David Edwardson nailed the crossbar from close range. In the second half, rainy conditions contributed to a slick field and a number of goals. The Cougars found an equalizer from Abdul Ibrahim in the 61st minute, but the Lancers were swift in response. One minute after Spring Arbor’s goal, Trenton Porter picked out a streaking Fiema, who latched onto the deep pass and slotted his shot past the goalkeeper. Grace’s third goal started when Kyle Hamlin cut into the middle of the field from the left side. Hamlin passed to Shane Barthuly on the right side of the penalty box, and Barthuly fed Dylan Andersen in stride for a one-time finish from 14 yards for his first collegiate goal. Fiema finished off his first hat trick in a Lancer uniform at the 89:28 mark. He stole a ball from a Spring Arbor defender and scored from a sharp angle along the right endline. Overall, Grace held a slight 20-19 advantage in shot attempts and a 5-4 advantage in corner kicks. Senior goalkeeper Collin Cone made 11 saves, including a number of fine plays, to limit Spring Arbor to one goal in 90 minutes. The Lancers will play at Saint Francis on Tuesday at 7 p.m. before welcoming Mount Vernon Nazarene to Miller Field on Saturday for their regular-season league finale.
WOMEN’S SOCCER FORT WAYNE – Senior Jocelyn Evans scored two goals, including a late game winner, as Grace’s women’s soccer team defeated Saint Francis 2-1 on Saturday afternoon. With the win, Grace pulled itself into a three-way tie for second place in the Crossroads League standings with three matches remaining. Grace scored its first goal off a set piece after a foul by Saint Francis outside the penalty box. Carianne Sobey hammered the free kick off the gloves of the Cougars’ goalkeeper, and Jocelyn Evans was there to finish the rebound in the fifth minute of play. Grace moved the ball patiently throughout the match against physical play from Saint Francis that resulted in three yellow cards for the Cougars. The Cougars (9-6; 4-2 CL) became much more direct in their attack in the final period and found an equalizer in the second half. The referee awarded Saint Francis a penalty kick at the 62:12 mark, which the Cougars converted. Grace began to counter successfully against Saint Francis’s aggressive play and earned a corner kick in the 85th minute. Sobey’s corner kick bounced to Holly Bennett, who redirected the cross with her hip to Evans for the game-winning goal from close range. “I am pleased with the result. We were very composed as a team and had two good finishes considering the conditions,” said Grace head coach Michael Voss. “We defended well as the only goal we surrendered was a penalty kick. Abigail Burns had a good performance for us in goal handling the wet conditions and the long-range shooting.” Senior goalkeeper Abigail Burns earned the win in goal as she made five saves in 90 minutes of action. The Lady Lancers will conclude their regular season with a three-game home stand. Grace will host Mount Vernon Nazarene on Wednesday at 4 p.m., Marian on Oct. 20 at 1 p.m. and Goshen on Oct. 23 at 4 p.m.
VOLLEYBALL GOSHEN – Grace’s volleyball team squandered career-high performances from Dana Johnston and Christina LeBlanc in a 3-2 loss to Goshen College on Saturday. Johnston pounded out 20 kills for the Lady Lancers (15-10; 8-5 Crossroads League), and LeBlanc handed out 55 assists as both players reached their career marks in a losing effort. Goshen had its most efficient set in the opener, tallying 10 kills and only two errors to jump ahead with a 25-20 victory. Grace played from behind for much of the second set. They trailed by four midway into the set before rallying to within one point on a few occasions. The Maple Leafs (11-15; 6-8 CL) had the answer at the end, however, pulling ahead by two sets with a three-point win. The Lady Lancers started slowly in the third set and found themselves behind 14-11. Grace went on a 6-1 run at that point to grab the lead and did not let go. Grace ended the set with seven unanswered points to win 25-18. The fourth set was a back-and-forth affair as the teams found themselves tied late 19-19. Grace, who amassed 17 kills in the fourth set, played inspired volleyball down the stretch as Dana Johnston’s kill capped off a 25-23 win. In the decisive fifth set, Goshen looked to put Grace away early by taking a 9-5 lead. The Lady Lancers showed their resiliency with five straight points to retake the lead, but Goshen matched their run with a 5-0 spurt to go ahead 14-10. Grace managed to win three pressure-packed points with their backs to the wall but ultimately fell 15-13. Overall, Grace outplayed Goshen in nearly every statistical category. The Lady Lancers tallied 8 more kills, 4 more digs, 8 more assists and 2 more block points than the Maple Leafs. Alicia Gosney and Stefanie Bolt recorded 13 kills as Bolt added five block assists to her line. Arielle Walters led all players in block points with two solo blocks and five block assists, Bethany Whitcraft amassed a match-high 28 digs, and Hannah Clemmons chipped in 13 digs. The Lady Lancers will hope to turn things around next week with their final three home matches of the season. Grace hosts Mount Vernon on Tuesday, Spring Arbor on Friday for Senior Night and Taylor on Saturday.
