Grace overcomes elements, Park University in NAIA tournament opener
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Dale Hubler-dhubler@timesuniononline.com
WINONA LAKE – Grace College's first appearance in the NAIA women's soccer national tournament was certainly a memorable one. Hosting Park University Saturday in the first round of the 32nd annual, 32-team tournament, the ninth-ranked Lady Lancers overcame Mother Nature and the Pirates' high-powered offense en route to a 2-1 win at Miller Athletic Complex. The match was played in swirling winds and heavy snowfall, and by the time the 90-minute contest was over there were about four inches of snow on the playing surface. Playing in conditions that resembled a Christmas snow globe, however, appeared to effect Park University more than it did the Lady Lancers, who improved to 16-2-3 and advanced to the round of 16 in Orange Beach, Ala. “I think it was pure determination,” Grace College coach Michael Voss said of his team overcoming the elements, as well as the opposition. “We talked about solving the problem. All soccer rules were off, and we just had to solve the problem. I think we started with, maybe, half an inch of snow on the ground and we ended with a couple inches. That just makes things miserable. “It is what it is, and give credit to the Lord for giving them the mindset that they can persevere and find a way. I'll be honest with you, they had fun. They had a blast, and they get to keep playing soccer. It's not the way they envisioned getting to the final 16, but they did it, they solved the problems and did it.” A match in which the Lady Lancers outshot the Pirates 22-9, Grace set the tone early. Senior Mallory Rondeau, a former Wawasee High School standout, scored less than eight minutes into the action, as she took an assist from classmate Darcy Johnston and put it past Park University freshman goalkeeper Amy Roskell. With 5:31 remaining in the opening half, another former local prep star scored for Grace, as Warsaw Community High School product Meredith Hollar converted an assist from Johnston, pushing the Lady Lancers’ advantage to 2-0. “You can ask them, they don't care who scores, they just want it to get done,” said Voss. “They had some good chances. They've been ailing through the season. They've had their injuries. They've had so much adversity ... from a little sprained ankle here to a minor stretch or pull here, or a knock here that keeps them out. Those two have been so limited. Praise God that they did it today. They worked hard.” The Pirates made things interesting when junior Emily Key scored an unassisted goal with 12:41 remaining in the match. That was all the offense Park University could muster though, as Grace College sophomore goalkeeper Abby Schue, another former Warsaw standout, made saves on three of the Pirates' four total shots on goal. Park University was making its 10th appearance in the NAIA national tournament. The Pirates were averaging three goals per match. They had scored multiple goals in 14 of their 19 matches before Saturday, including six matches with at least five goals. Mother Nature and the Lady Lancers, however, stopped Park University in its tracks Saturday, dropping the Pirates to 14-6 on the season. Grace will play No. 8 seed Westmont College (15-3-2) on Nov. 30 in Orange Beach, Ala. The Warriors, of Santa Barbara, Calif., opened NAIA national tournament play Saturday with a 6-0 win over Embry-Riddle of Ariz. For the Lady Lancers, making the NAIA national tournament has been a dream for a long time. The journey hasn’t been easy, as Voss has completely changed the culture of the Grace College women’s soccer program. “Nine years of hard work,” said Voss. “Nine years of praying. Nine years of bringing kids in here. We came from a place where we weren’t very successful and we didn’t play a very good brand of futbol, and then we had kids who put time and effort in and laid the foundation. For the last couple years we were just two or three teams outside of making it. We just persevered. There’s 16 teams still playing, and we’re one of them.”
