Soccer Results: Sept. 21
WARSAW GIRLS 4, CONCORD 1
In a restart from a rain date earlier in the month, Warsaw put away its Northern Lakes Conference rivals at the Tiger Soccer Complex. The match started 1-0 in favor of Warsaw where the game was halted with just over 10 minutes off the clock. Abby Steffensmeier had the first goal on the board, and on Saturday, Audrey Grimm scored a hat trick. Steffensmeier had two assists and Corissa Koontz helped on the other in the Grimm hatter. Brielle Harrison had five saves in between the pipes for the Tigers.
NORTHWOOD GIRLS 1, ELKHART CENTRAL 1
Ari Topping notched NorthWood’s lone goal in the draw with the Chargers in Elkhart. Topping’s goal was assisted by Brenin Knight. Lili Lomeli had six saves in net to preserve the tie.
ARGOS GIRLS 2, LAKELAND CHRISTIAN 0
Argos snatched two second-half goals to trip up LCA in Marshall County. Finley Hobbs was very busy in net for LCA, making 18 saves. The Dragons scored in the 50th and 79th minutes.
“We played a very good team and lost,” stated LCA head coach Nat Raber. “I am extremely encouraged by the way the girls played tonight. We knew they were going to be a huge test for us and we were able to keep them off the scoreboard for the first 50 minutes of the game. Would have loved to have converted one of our chances but overall pleased. The defense did an incredible job to force most of the shots from distance and Finely was great in net.”
GRACE WOMEN 7, CLEARY 1
For the second time this week, JJ Aalbue terrorized opponents for No. 16 Grace’s women’s soccer team.
Aalbue picked up her second hat trick of the week – two in four days – to lead the Lady Lancers (8-1) to a 7-1 victory at 1st Source Bank Field. She also recorded three assists in a dazzling display.
Grace outshot Cleary 29-2 in the match, including a 17-0 difference in the second half.
Cleary shocked the hosts by scoring first. The Cougars (2-3) capitalized on a poor pass from Grace’s back line to score in the fourth minute.
Grace was calm in its response, applying consistent pressure on the Cougars’ half of the field.
The Lady Lancers knotted the game just over 10 minutes later. Aalbue beat a defender on the right side of the field and crossed a low pass in front of the goal. Liz Van Wormer pounced on the loose ball and blasted her shot into the back of the net at the 15:55 mark.
Aalbue took care of the rest. She scored two goals before halftime to put the Lady Lancers ahead for good.
Aalbue’s first goal in the 25th minute was a moment of individual brilliance. She collected the ball in Grace’s defensive third and charged up the left sideline. Aalbue took the attention of numerous defenders and still freed herself for a shot; the shot hit the back of the net in a split second, giving Cleary’s goalkeeper no chance to make a save.
Grace was patient in its possession attack, resulting in Aalbue’s second goal. Cassidy Wasson dribbled dangerously toward the top of Cleary’s penalty box. She cleverly slid a pass ahead to Aalbue, who finished her shot under pressure at the 39:10 mark.
The Lady Lancers led 3-1 at the half after holding a 12-2 shot advantage.
It took Grace just two minutes in the second half to score, sparked again by Aalbue. The freshman gained an edge on the right side and crossed to the near post. Van Wormer was there, similar to the game’s first goal, to finish off Aalbue’s assist.
Aalbue nearly had a third goal shortly after, but her shot clanged off the goalpost. Corinne Villalobos also had a shot bounce off the post.
Sacia Hanson, who had come close several times earlier in the half, found the back of the net. She sliced her shot to the far post and above the goalkeeper at the 62:54 mark.
Aalbue wrapped up her second straight hat trick a minute after subbing back into the game. The freshman found a sliver of space and hit a laser past the goalkeeper from an impossibly tight angle in the 71st minute.
The seventh and final goal was a well-worked free kick. Lea Moessinger and Aalbue combined to find Taylor Fort, and Fort scored her first collegiate goal at the 78:58 mark.
Madison Putman made one save to earn the win in goal. Aalbue tried 10 shots in the match, Van Wormer shot five times, and Hanson and Villalobos each shot four times.
LAKELAND CHRISTIAN BOYS 5, GRANGER CHRISTIAN 0
LCA peppered Granger with 15 shots and nine corner kicks in a lopsided result in Winona Lake. Parker Stewart recorded another hat trick for the Cougars, Brayden Lane added a goal and Trey Avey got a rare goal for the home side. Aiden McQuade, Michael Easterling, Stewart and Lane all had assists in the game. Peter Koller made five saves to gather the clean sheet in net for LCA.
“Granger committed a lot of numbers behind the ball and made it difficult to break them down,” said LCA head coach Dan Miller. “Credit our team for maintaining possession and creating good goal scoring opportunities. Peter Koller made two critical saves in goal to keep the clean sheet.”
WAWASEE BOYS 1, EAST NOBLE 1
A penalty in the 79th minute bailed out Wawasee to earn a point in Kendallville. Niles Hodges connected on a penalty to salvage a tie for the Warriors. East Noble got its only goal on a penalty kick make in the 60th minute.
“Great result for Wawasee,” stated Wawasee head coach Jordan Sharp. “We had many good looks and played tough throughout the game. We got everyone in and subbed every position.”
Wawasee lost both of its games in the NLC JV tourney, 8-0 to Warsaw and 6-0 to Concord. Stats and scores for the entire tournament were not provided.
WARSAW BOYS 8, LAFAYETTE JEFF 0
A long road trip to Lafayette had the Tigers dominate the host Bronchos. Landon Voss, Blake Burns and Jose Lara all had two goals while Jorge Rico and Adrian Tanase each potted one goal. Burns, Rico, Dayne Koontz and Ted Berelsman all had assists in the contest. Warsaw has won seven of its last eight matches and have five shutouts in that stretch.
Warsaw’s JV beat Wawasee 10-0 and lost to Northridge 2-1 in the NLC tourney. Stats for the Tigers were not provided. The Warsaw C-Team drew 0-0 with Lafayette Jeff.
GRACE MEN 4, CLEARY 2
Grace’s men’s soccer team wrapped up the nonconference season in style, beating Cleary 4-2 on the road Saturday.
The Lancers (6-1-1) stretched their winning streak to five games; Grace’s offense has been electric during that streak, producing 20 goals during the five-game winning streak.
Saturday’s match was even for the first 65 minutes. Each team scored once in the opening half.
Grace scored at the beginning to take an early advantage. Jonny Mora sent in a corner kick in the sixth minute, and Ivan Santagiuliana netted on the play.
The Cougars (2-2) managed to equalize in the 37th minute, sending the game into halftime with a 1-1 deadlock.
Cleary was credited with a 9-3 edge in shots, but Grace’s offense was just warming up.
After 20 minutes of play in the second half, the game was still tied. But over the next 12 minutes, Grace wrapped up the victory.
At the 66:22 mark, Ze Maria Goncalves assisted Marcelo Talamas for the go-ahead goal.
Ulisses Miranda and Felipe Gruber’s connection provided the rest. Miranda netted in the 73rd minute after an assist by Gruber. Miranda returned the favor by assisting Gruber at the 78:30 mark for a 4-1 lead.
The Cougars tried to keep pressure on the Lancers with their second goal in the 85th minute, but Grace’s defense stood firm for the final minutes.
Talamas tried three shots to lead Grace, and Gruber had two shots on goal.
The Lancers return home next week to kick off the Crossroads League season. Grace’s league opener is a crucial one, hosting Huntington on Wednesday at 7 p.m. The Foresters are currently receiving votes in the NAIA.