Men's Soccer Team Headlines Grace College Roundup With Win Over Taylor
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Josh Neuhart-
WINONA LAKE – Grace College’s men’s soccer team may have outshot Taylor 24-7 on Wednesday afternoon, but one shot from Kyle Hamlin proved to be all the difference. Hamlin’s goal in the 80th minute lifted the Lancers (6-5-1; 2-3-1 Crossroads League) to a 1-0 victory at Miller Field. “The guys worked very hard for this win. We have been outshooting opponents consistently, but we have come up short in the most important statistical category in the last few games,” said Grace head coach Matt Hotchkin. “It feels good to win, and I know it was a relief for the guys. We showed good effort and teamwork today, and for this I believe we earned this victory.” Grace was the more dangerous of the teams throughout the match and nearly scored within two minutes of the opening kickoff. In the second minute of play, Danilo Carnelos fired off a deep shot from the left side of the field which drilled off the crossbar. Trent Smith had another golden opportunity in the half with a 20-yard free kick. He unleashed a low drive that beat Taylor’s goalkeeper but bounced off the post. The Trojans (2-10-2; 1-5 CL) were outshot 12-4 in the first half, but the squads entered the halftime break scoreless. Grace continued its offensive barrage in the second half with a 12-3 advantage in shots and 6-0 advantage in corner kicks. Jon Christensen thought he had the game’s first goal when he got ahold of a long blast with 21 minutes remaining. His shot was parried by the Trojans’ goalkeeper, however, and deflected off the crossbar. Hamlin found space on the right side of the field for a hard shot that was saved with 13:16 remaining. He had a nearly identical shot three minutes later and made it count, beating Taylor’s goalkeeper for the game-winning goal. Nikola Blazic was credited for the assist. Taylor was held to one shot over the final 15 minutes as they failed to produce an equalizing goal. For the match Grace held a 24-7 advantage in shots. The Lancers also took eight of the nine corner kicks for the afternoon. Jacob Cole made five saves in 90 minutes as goalkeeper to record the shutout. Jonathan Sands, Justin Festa, Ben Bassous and Austin Altimus limited the Trojans offensively for most of Wednesday’s action. Grace has just three league matches remaining in the regular season. The Lancers travel to Spring Arbor, Mich., to face the Cougars on Saturday at 7 p.m.
VOLLEYBALL UPLAND – Facing a 0-2 hole on the road to Taylor, Grace’s volleyball team dug deep to rally for a five-set win on Wednesday evening. The Lady Lancers snapped an eight-year drought against the Trojans, ending a string of 12 straight losses to Taylor with a 3-2 win. The two-headed attack of Dana Johnston (16 kills) and Calah Kruse (15 kills) propelled Grace to its fifth straight Crossroads League victory. The win propelled the Lady Lancers (16-5; 8-5 CL) to within a half game of third place in the league standings. Grace faded late in the first set to give Taylor a 25-19 win. The Lady Lancers led 18-17, but they were outscored 8-1 down the stretch. The second set appeared to be in Grace’s favor with a 21-17 lead. The Trojans (12-9; 8-4 CL) rallied, however, to force extra points. Seven attack errors by Grace allowed Taylor to scrap out a 28-26 win. Needing a win in the third set to stay alive, Grace broke open a 15-15 deadlock by claiming a 22-19 lead on an ace from Taylor Baird. Baird’s serving spurred the Lady Lancers to a 25-20 victory. Grace stayed in front for much of the fourth set, taking an 18-13 advantage when Gabby Dunlap blasted a kill down the line. However, Taylor recovered to tie the game at 21 apiece. Two late kills from Calah Kruse paved the way for Kaitlin Kerrigan to win the set with a kill at 25-23. In the decisive fifth set, the Lady Lancers grabbed the first cushion with a block point that lifted Grace to a 7-5 lead. The teams exchanged points over the tense final rallies, but Grace refused to surrender the lead. Taylor fought back to within one at 13-12, but Kruse produced a timely kill in response. The match was won on a violation from the Trojans, sending Grace’s team into celebration. Calah Kruse had a double-double with 15 kills and 24 digs and was also perfect on 19 serve attempts. Dana Johnston’s team-high 16 kills came on a .220 percentage. She also had one solo block and two block assists. Taylor Baird had 27 assists and Ellie Harp added 18 assists to pace Grace’s offense, and Baird served up three aces. Megan Johnson and Grace Woolsey recorded four block assists with Woolsey adding eight kills.
