Late Goal Spoils Lancers' Crossroads Championship Dream
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Josh Neuhart-
MARION – Grace’s men’s soccer team may have outshot Indiana Wesleyan on Saturday night, but the Wildcats saved their most important shot for last. Indiana Wesleyan netted in the 85th minute to defeat the Lancers 2-1 in the Crossroads League Tournament championship. “I’m proud of the work that the guys did tonight. I thought they played with heart and class. We struggled early in the match, and I’d give the first half to IWU. I thought we controlled the second half with the exception of about five minutes,” said Grace head coach Matt Hotchkin. “We had some very good opportunities that we didn’t convert tonight. Some nights those go in, and tonight they didn’t. But these guys represented Grace well.” Grace, playing for the program’s first NAIA National Tournament bid since 1982, erased a one-goal lead at halftime and nearly netted the go-ahead goal in the second half. The first half was evenly played. The teams were each credited with four shots, but the Wildcats (15-5) struck first. IWU sent a deep free kick into the penalty box in the 22nd minute, and the ball remained untouched and found its way into the back of Grace’s net. Kyle Hamlin had a pair of chances in the first half. The first was a blast from outside the 18-yard box that was saved in the eighth minute. The second came late in the half when a rebounded effort from close range went wide of the net. The Lancers (12-6-2) came out as the aggressors in the second half and dominated time on the ball. Grace scored its equalizer at the 50:41 mark. Damon Binkley drove along the right sideline and crossed a ball into a dangerous position. An IWU defender deflected the cross into his own net to level the score at 1-1. Hector Torres and Josiah Osborn each had shots saved in the final 15 minutes, but Grace’s best chance at a winner came in the 77th minute. Nakilee Weni gained position at the top of the penalty box and attempted an acrobatic bicycle kick. His effort beat the outstretched gloves of IWU’s goalkeeper, but the shot clanged off the crossbar. The Wildcats found their winner in the 85th minute, cleaning up a loose ball in the penalty box. Binkley tried a last-minute shot from 20 yards out, but his effort was saved. “It’s tough to lose a big game like that, pick yourself back up, put it in perspective, learn from it, grow and move onto what is next. I think we have a great group of men,” Hotchkin said. “Now we have a big week ahead as we work to earn an NCCAA region title. I know these guys will bounce back.” As a team, Grace outshot IWU 9-6 with five shots on goal. The Lancers also had a 6-4 advantage in corner kicks. The Lancers will transition to qualifying for the NCCAA National Championships. Grace hosts Oakland City on Tuesday at 4 p.m. in the Midwest region semifinals. The championship game will be played on Saturday at Grace if the Lancers beat Oakland City. Grace Runners Enjoy Successful NCCAA Meet HOUGHTON, N.Y. - Grace’s cross country team competed at the 2015 NCCAA National Championships on Saturday. The women’s team placed 7th out of 21, and the men’s squad finished 11th out of 18 and had the best team time of the season. “I’m very pleased with the way we ran today,” said Grace head coach Jeff Raymond. “Ten of our 12 runners ran faster than last week at our league meet, so it was a positive way to end the season.” Katelyn McCullough, who earned All-Crossroads League honors last week, led the Lady Lancers with a 23rd-place finish of 19:13. Freshman sisters Ariel Arellano and Raven Arellano both had top-50 finishes out of 142 runners. Ariel placed 31st in 19:34, and Raven was 20:10 for 45th place. Sarah Hoff was fourth for Grace in 21:14, Karla Singer crossed the finish line in 21:35, and Liz Fox was next in 22:11. “Our goal for the women was a top-10 finish so coming in seventh was a great effort,” Raymond said. “Kate[lyn McCullough] ran a solid race up front and only missed All-American honors by a few places. Ariel and Raven [Arellano] ran very well, and Sarah [Hoff] ran her best race of the season.” On the men’s side, sophomore Tyler Houvener was Grace’s top finisher with a 40th-place showing of 26:54. Brandon Smith was not far behind in 27:06. Sam Hall (27:29) and Joel Bertelsen (27:33) were close behind each other, and Brendan Hamilton rounded out the top five in 28:42. “Our guys finished with their best team time of the year so we feel good about placing 11th,” Raymond said. “Tyler [Houvener] and Brandon [Smith] posted their best individual times of this year, and Sam [Hall] was very close to his season best. This result should build confidence in our young team.” Katelyn McCullough will officially conclude the cross country season at the NAIA National Championships on Nov. 21.
