Grace College’s Allison Vroon (11) connects on a header for the game-winning goal against Huntington in a 2-1 women’s soccer win Wednesday night. (Photos by Mike Deak)

WINONA LAKE – Grace College women’s soccer coach Michael Voss hasn’t seen his team pull off many set piece headers in practice, let alone in matches. Imagine the surprise to Voss and the Lady Lancers when Allison Vroon buried a header off a corner kick to win the match Wednesday, 2-1, against visiting Huntington.

“We are vanilla ice cream, man, we just weren’t doing anything exciting,” laughed Voss. “Then we solve it and we pull it off on a dead ball. We’ve been working on dead ball plays for two months, and I feel like we execute one at practice and we’re like we’re done and walk off the training pitch.

“That one was drawn up and executed well. That’s good to have that at this time. I’m happy with that.”

Vroon’s game winner came in the 79th minute after Grace had just made a line change, getting their starters back onto the pitch for a final push. A miskick in the back third by Huntington afforded a harmless corner kick, which Autumn Raulerson lined up and picked Vroon, who rose above defender Matea Knispel and buried the shot for the go-ahead goal.

It was a tale of two halves for the clubs, Grace dominating play in the first half and Huntington reversing course in the second. Huntington took just one shot on target in the first half and looked dormant for much of the first 45 minutes, unable to build up any offensive pressure. Grace, on the other hand, grabbed a 1-0 lead in the eighth minute when Raulerson found an open Emma Neahusan on the right wing, and her missile from about 25 yards out slotted into the upper 90 far post.

That scoreline held up until the 62nd minute, when Huntington finally started to build up some offense. Looking to build around Brandi Spear, the Foresters attacked the right flank and Audra Klopfenstein got a cross into the box that froze Lancer keeper Abby Schue in no man’s land just enough. Spear was then able to dive onto the ball and flick it into the netting for the equalizer.

“We had a momentary lapse of not doing what we are supposed to be doing,” said Voss. “Two overpursuits and one person failing to stay with her mark when chaos ensued. Those were the things that allowed them to get the shot, and credit Spear for the goal, that was a great service into the box and a great way to get onto the end of it. Touche, that’s a great play.”

Huntington (7-7-1, 3-3 CL) would actually outshoot Grace 14-13 on the night, taking nine in the second half while Grace had just the one header on target in the second half. Schue would be credited with four saves in the match, Paige Coolman five stops for the Foresters.

The win moves Grace (6-6-3, 3-3 CL) from seventh in the Crossroads League standings to a tie for third.

“That’s a good result for us to get that, it’s timely,” Voss said, whose club will take on No. 2 Spring Arbor on Saturday. “We’ve been trying to figure out how to get ourselves into position to score goals. Who can get them. How can we make runs to get and where can we put those intentional balls. Even some of our dead balls from 20 or 30 (yards), those were executed well, too. You get a rebound and who knows.”