WINONA LAKE – In a crucial late-season matchup with Marian University, Grace College’s tenth-ranked women’s soccer team came up big with a 1-0 win on Wednesday. Mallory Rondeau scored her fifth game-winning goal of the season, finding the decisive strike in the first half for the Lady Lancers (13-1-2, 5-1-2 Crossroads League) It took Grace less than 15 minutes to get on the scoreboard against Marian. Grace was fouled just inside its half of the field. Meredith Matson fired a hard shot off the restart which took a short hop in front of the Knights' goalkeeper. After Matson's shot was deflected down, Mallory Rondeau flashed into the penalty box and knocked in the rebound for a 1-0 lead at the 14:58 mark. The Lady Lancers gained more possession in the latter half of the opening period, leading to a 7-5 advantage in shots for the half. In the second half, Grace had its best chances off set pieces. Grace had a number of looks off free kicks and corner kicks, but the Lady Lancers were unable to produce an insurance goal. Fortunately for Grace, the Knights (11-6, 5-3 CL) could not find the back of the net. Marian’s best look came on a fastbreak with a shot that clanged off the goalpost. Grace outshot Marian in each half, including 7-4 in the second half and 14-9 for the match. Defensively, Grace earned its 10th shutout of the season. Abby Schue made three saves in 90 minutes to pick up the win. She was protected well by the backline of Erica Manchess, Faith Voehringer, Meredith Matson and Kristelle Jadoo. Rondeau led Grace with four shots and two on goal. Meredith Hollar, Matson, Aubrey Feipel and Meghan Wiles took two shots apiece. The win means Grace will lock up the No. 2 seed in the league with a victory in its final match. Grace will travel to Taylor on Saturday at 7 p.m. in the regular-season finale. The first round of the CL Tournament is Oct. 31.
VOLLEYBALL WINONA LAKE – Grace’s volleyball team seemed well on its way to an impressive sweep of No. 23 Indiana Wesleyan on Wednesday, but the Wildcats had other plans. IWU survived several match points and ultimately rallied for a five-set, come-from-behind win over the Lady Lancers (17-14, 8-7 Crossroads League) at the Manahan Orthopaedic Capital Center. Grace jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the match, winning 25-15 and 25-21 over the first two sets. Kelsee Zuidema was a central figure in the opening set, sparking Grace to an 8-0 lead with three consecutive service aces. The Lady Lancers rolled away to a 10-point win in the opener. Grace’s momentum continued in the second set in a four-point win, and the Lady Lancers’ strong play carried into the third game. The score remained close in the latter stages of the set until Grace pulled ahead 24-22, serving for the match. IWU held off two straight match points in front of a standing crowd, but Grace won the next point to go ahead 25-24. The Wildcats survived their third match point, then rattled off two more to sneak away for a 27-25 win. The Wildcats, emboldened with their newfound lifeline, cruised to a 25-16 win in the fourth. They clinched the comeback victory 15-11 in the tiebreaker as Grace struggled with unforced errors. Tori Bontrager was the only Lady Lancer to reach double-digit kills, tallying 12 kills on 22 attempts. She also led Grace’s blocking efforts with four block assists. Kari Feddema produced eight kills on a .318 percentage, adding two block assists, and Zuidema finished with 9 kills, 4 aces, 6 digs and 2 block assists. Sara Miller had a team-high 29 digs, and Taylor Baird had 16 assists, 2 aces and 12 digs. The Lady Lancers return to action Oct. 28 with a match at Taylor at 7 p.m.
WOMEN’S GOLF PANAMA CITY BEACH, Fla. – Lauren Keiser wasted little time making history for Grace's women's golf team. The freshman became the first Lady Lancer to compete at NCCAA Nationals, participating in the championship event as an individual in Grace's first season of collegiate competition. Keiser finished 32nd out of 47 golfers, scoring 278 over the three-day event. She was in 24th place after the opening round, carding a 93 on Monday. Keiser started strong, parring out three of the first four holes at nationals. In the second round, she lowered her score by two strokes for a 91. On the back nine, Keiser parred five of the nine holes for a solid finish. The final round was played on Wednesday. She picked up a birdie on the 15th hole — a 375-yard par-four — and ultimately finished with a 94. The Lady Lancers will wrap up the fall season on Oct. 25-26 with Davenport Invitational.
