Van Wormer’s Goal Gives Grace Women’s Soccer A Road Win
Van Wormer’s Goal Gives Grace Women’s Soccer A Road Win
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Staff Report-
Van Wormer’s Goal Gives Grace Women’s Soccer A Road WinGOSHEN – Grace College’s women’s soccer team was short-handed on Saturday, but it did not matter as the No. 17 Lady Lancers beat Goshen 2-1.
Liz Van Wormer netted in the second half to break a 1-1 deadlock, leading to the sixth straight victory for the Lady Lancers (10-1, 2-0 Crossroads League).
Grace quickly broke Goshen’s defense and scored in the seventh minute. Sacia Hanson found space for a shot in the penalty box, but it ricocheted off the crossbar. The rebound fell to JJ Aalbue, who beat the goalkeeper with a shot. Aalbue has now scored in six straight matches.
Goshen quickly brought the game even in the 11th minute, scoring off a perfectly placed header that was just beyond the reach of a diving Liz Aalbue; Liz Aalbue was forced into action as goalkeeper with both Lady Lancer goalies sidelined with injuries.
The Lady Lancers came close to taking the lead back in the 14th minute when a shot from Cassidy Wasson forced a difficult save.
Grace controlled the ball for the rest of the half but failed to find the back of the net again.
The start of the second half was a midfield battle with neither team able to gain the upper hand.
When the Lady Lancers did gain possession, they were relentless with their pressure. Grace put four shots on goal in a six-minute span. Grace threatened to take the lead in 65th minute, but Joana Schimmel put her shot just wide of the net.
Grace broke the tie in the 75th minute after Van Wormer headed in a goal. Hanson used a strong individual effort to break free of her defender and sent a cross right to Van Wormer for the game winner.
Grace survived one final push from the Maple Leafs as Liz Aalbue made a fantastic save late to preserve the 2-1 victory for the Lady Lancers.
The win moves Grace into a tie with Indiana Wesleyan atop the conference.
For the match, Grace held a dominant 22-7 advantage in shot attempts; Goshen only had two attempts on goal. Grace also tried nine corner kicks.
The Lady Lancers will return home Wednesday when they take on Bethel at 7 p.m.
-Grant Cook
Grace Spikers Fall At No. 22 Marian
INDIANAPOLIS – Grace’s volleyball team dropped a tight match at No. 22 Marian on Saturday.
The Lady Lancers (9-11, 5-4 Crossroads League) suffered a 3-1 defeat against the Knights (17-1, 7-1 CL). Despite a strong offensive performance from the Lady Lancers, Marian’s offense was too much.
Grace’s attack was led by 15 kills from Gabbey Harrington, 13 kills from Makaela Lochmueller and 12 kills from Katie Swanson. Alexa Hill added an outstanding 47 assists.
In the first set, the Lady Lancers started strong with each team trading blows to a 12-12 score. However, the Knights went on a 13-3 run and closed out the set, handing Grace a 25-16 defeat.
The Lady Lancers jumped out to an early lead in the second set. Kills from Harrington and Jadyn Block, followed by a block from Lochmueller, resulted in a 3-0 lead for Grace.
Grace held on to the lead until the Knights tied it up at 13-13. The score went back and forth before a 5-2 run propelled the Lady Lancers to a 25-21 win.
Grace dropped a hard-fought third set, 25-22. Six different players tallied kills to produce a 18-12 Grace lead, but the Knights responded with six unanswered points to tie the set at 18.
Despite late kills from Swanson and Harrington to push the score to 22-23, Marian finished with two consecutive kills to edge out the Lady Lancers, 25-22.
Although Grace put up a strong fight in the fourth set, Marian finished off the set with a 6-1 run, resulting in a 25-20 win to close out the match.
Emily Sharp and Gina Novotny anchored a busy Lancer defense. Sharp tallied 23 digs and two aces, while Novotny notched 19 digs.
Lochmueller recorded 2 block assists and a solo block to go along with 13 kills. Block added nine kills and four digs.
Hill nearly missed a double-double, producing nine digs with her 47 assists.
Grace will remain on the road Wednesday with a 7 p.m. match at Bethel.
