Grace Sports Results: Oct. 12
YOUNG MEDALIST, GRACE SHOWS TALENT AT HOME GOLF INVITE
The Grace women’s golf team took second place in their home Lancer Invitational on Friday and Saturday at Stonehenge Golf Club.
Freshman Lucy Young highlighted Grace’s performance by earning medalist honors. She fired a 74-77 to earn her first collegiate win by three strokes.
As a team, Grace was brilliant on Friday despite a steady rainfall. The Lady Lancers tied for their best round in school history with a 303 to finish the day in first place.
Grace battled through frigid temperatures and strong winds to post a 331 on Saturday, finishing four strokes behind No. 20 Indiana Wesleyan for the team victory.
Grace’s tournament score of 634 was second out of 10 teams in the tournament, beating out No. 15 St. Francis by four strokes.
“I’m so happy for Lucy. To medal in a field like this is exceptional!” said Grace head coach Denny Duncan. “The entire team played really well on Friday. Our freshmen were especially sharp. The weather turned cold and windy, which we didn’t hand well today. But we will bounce back with a good week of practice before nationals.”
Carolyn Pacocha shot the best round of her young career on Friday, finishing two over par with a 73. The freshman placed 10th overall.
Sydney Abbott’s 76-83 propelled her to an eighth-place finish on the individual leaderboard.
Anna Marshall (80-87) and Rachel Harvey (83-84) rounded out the team’s scoring.
Grace’s B and C teams also posted solid scores. Jaden Cardoso (84-88) had the best two-day tournament score of her collegiate career.
Kristin Holt (81-88) and Kara Godsey (91-87) led the B team to a sixth-place finish, shooting a team score of 336 on the first day. Abigail Fishel shot an 83 on Friday, and Olivia Shaw was right behind her at 84.
Grace has one tournament left this fall. The Lady Lancers travel to Florida on Oct. 21-23 to vie for the NCCAA National Championships in Palm Coast, Fla.
GRACE MEN ENJOY HOME COOKING
Grace’s men’s golf team got to play at home this weekend for the Lancer Invitational at Stonehenge Golf Club.
The Lancers placed fifth out of nine teams in the field in a pair of wildly different days on the course.
Noah Wright finished tied atop the individual leaderboard. He shot 78 on Friday in a light but steady rainfall. Saturday’s conditions were frigid and windy, but Wright was even better. The sophomore carded a one-over 72 on Saturday to jump up 21 spots; his round on Saturday was the lowest score of the day.
Wright was bested in a three-way playoff for medalist honors.
Camden Gongwer had a strong tournament. He carded a 73-79 to finish tied for sixth out of 50 golfers.
Blake Lawson was next for Grace with a 157, including a first-round 74. Payton Kelly (80-88) and Jacob Abrahamson (83-90) rounded out the Lancers’ scoring.
Tim Rata played well as an individual, producing a scorecard of 81-76, and Chase Byron shot 79 on Saturday to highlight his weekend.
To see complete tournament results, click here.
The Lancers are headed to Florida next for the 2019 NCCAA National Championships. The national tournament is held at Hammock Beach Resort on Oct. 21-23.
LANCERS LEVEL WITH MVNU
Grace’s men’s soccer team had double the shots of Mt. Vernon Nazarene on Saturday but had to settle for a 1-1 double overtime draw.
The Lancers shot 18 times compared to nine for the Cougars and let a first-half lead slip away after halftime.
The first half quickly settled into each team’s style. Grace was content to possess the ball and look for holes in MVNU’s defense; the Cougars poised for counterattacks.
Grace’s patient style seemed to control the half; the Cougars only had three shots in the first half.
The Lancers (7-4-3, 1-3-2 Crossroads League) were most dangerous during the middle portions of the half. Marcelo Talamas and Ulisses Miranda had goal-scoring opportunities minutes apart that missed.
Grace finally broke through in the 37th minute. Gabriel Dos Santos made a dangerous run on the left side of the field and made a cross into the penalty box. Marcelo Talamas placed his shot past the goalkeeper to put Grace ahead 1-0.
Although the Cougars (8-3-3, 3-1-2 CL) threatened with pressure in the waning seconds of the half, Grace maintained the 1-0 edge into halftime. The Lancers outshot MVNU 7-3 in the first 45 minutes of play.
The second half was a midfield battle. Cody Boerema had the only attempt of the first 15 minutes.
The Cougars’ first shot of the second half didn’t come until almost 20 minutes, but it nearly tied the game. Gonzalo Salo had to make a nearly point-blank save on a shot from Joshua Sitney.
MVNU made good on its next shot a minute later. Grace tried to clear a corner kick, but it went only as far as the top of the box. The Cougars’ Niquell de Matas placed a one-time volley just beyond Salo’s reach to even the score.
Grace had two golden opportunities to win late in regulation. The first was a breakaway from Talamas which was saved, followed by a curling effort by Miranda which went wide.
Almost immediately, the Cougars had a breakaway of their own, prompting Salo to make a clutch save.
Grace seemed poised to score during the first overtime period. Talamas got a clean look after a free kick which was saved. Togo Narusawa also had a shot saved after a strong build up.
But a golden goal was not to be found during the overtime sessions. Grace had a 3-1 edge in shot attempts in the overtimes.
The match saw 31 fouls and five yellow cards; all five cards were issued after halftime. Talamas shot six times to lead all players, and Miranda and Boerema each had three shots.
Saturday was also Senior Night, honoring Grace’s senior class before the match.
LADY LANCERS DRAW WITH MVNU
The Grace College women’s soccer team played to a 2-2 draw Saturday evening against Mt. Vernon Nazarene.
Alexis Larimore and Joana Schimmel were the goal scorers for Grace, and freshman JJ Aalbue got the helper on both goals.
The Lady Lancers (12-2-1, 4-1-1 Crossroads League) grabbed control of the game early with a pair shots but were unable to beat the Cougars’ goalkeeper.
In the 11th minute MVNU capitalized on their first scoring chance to take the lead 1-0.
Midway into the first half, the Lady Lancers managed to pull even. Schimmel scored off a set piece attack with Aalbue setting her up on the play.
The Lady Lancers had a number of chances late in the first half to take the lead. Taylor ForT and Liz Van Wormer both put shots towards the net that required the Cougars’ goalkeeper to make saves to keep the game even heading to the intermission.
Grace held a 7-5 edge in shots before halftime, and that gap would only grow as the game progressed.
The second half was a dominant performance from the Lady Lancers. They opened the half pressuring the Cougars’ defense with a pair of shots and a corner kick opportunity.
In the 49th minute Schimmel put the Lady Lancers on top 2-1, scoring off a pass from Aalbue who picked up her second assist of the night.
Grace continued to pressure Mt. Vernon’s defense with seven shots over the next 15 minutes. In the 58th minute Aalbue came close to adding a goal to her already fantastic night, but her shot from just inside the box went high of the net.
Mt. Vernon struggled to mount any sustained pressure on the Lady Lancers. But despite taking just two shots in the second half, the Cougars managed to tie the match 2-2 in the 83rd minute.
Grace finished regulation with a sense of urgency but were unable to find the game winning goal.
Over the first 90 minutes of game action, the Lady Lancers outshot the Cougars 19-7; Grace also had a 4-1 advantage in corner kicks.
The first overtime period was a physical battle with three fouls being called and a lone shot from the Cougars that was sent well wide of the net.
Early in the second overtime period, Blackwood was forced to make a close-range save as Mt. Vernon maneuvered for a shot at Grace’s goal.
Van Wormer had the lone Lady Lancer shot attempt of the second overtime period but was unable to score the winner. The match ended tied at 2.
The Lady Lancers finished the night with 10 of their 20 shots being put on goal. Aalbue led the team with five shots.
SPIKERS LOSE STEAM IN MICHIGAN
Grace’s volleyball team could not continue its winning streak, falling on Saturday to Trinity Christian and Carroll.
In the opening match, Grace was unable to upset Trinity Christian in a 3-1 match. The Trolls, who are receiving votes in the NAIA, were lethally efficient on offense. TCC had 65 kills and just nine errors for a hitting percentage of .361.
The teams split the opening two sets; Trinity dominated the opener 25-12, but Grace responded with a 25-22 win in the second set. Lochmueller played a key role late in the set, recording three kills down the stretch to secure the win.
But the Trolls (14-7) cruised over the final two sets. Trinity ended the match with 25-16 and 25-14 wins in the third and fourth sets.
Katie Swanson and Gabbey Harrington tied for the team lead with nine kills, and Lochmueller had eight kills and two solo blocks.
Alexa Hill had a double-double of 38 assists and a team-high 16 digs, Gina Novotny notched 15 digs and two aces, Jadyn Block chipped in five kills and eight digs, and Caroline Mayer added 12 digs.
In the final match of the tournament, Grace was swept by Carroll. Carroll claimed the opening set by nine. The Fighting Saints (11-9) proceeded to win 25-18 in the second and third sets.
Swanson’s nine kills led the Lady Lancers, Block had seven kills, and Lochmueller added six kills.
Novotny dug up 15 balls, Mayer had 10 digs, and Hill finished with 31 assists and nine digs.