Ze Maria Goncalves and several of his Grace College men’s soccer teammates garnered awards from their championship season. Photo provided

By Josh Neuhart
Grace College Sports Information

WINONA LAKE – Five members of Grace’s men’s soccer team were given national awards from the NAIA and NCCAA after the Lancers’ memorable season.

Arron Patrick was named the NCCAA National Coach of the Year after leading Grace to the 2020 NCCAA national championship. It was the first national championship in program history as Grace beat Bethel 4-0 in the title bout.

Ulisses Miranda was named honorable mention for NAIA All-American to go along with NCCAA First Team All-American recognition.

Ze Maria Goncalves was NCCAA Second Team All-American, and Joe Bowles and Flavio Cruz were both NCCAA Third Team All-Americans.

Miranda earned a plethora of awards this year, including Crossroads League Player of the Year and NCCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player. The sensational senior scored 16 goals to go along with six assists to be named the conference’s best player.

He was particularly deadly in postseason play. He scored a goal in seven straight postseason games (in a 14 day-span in November). During that run, Grace reached the championship game of the Crossroads League Tournament before ultimately claiming the 2020 NCCAA national crown.

Cruz and Bowles were cornerstones of Grace’s defense. The Lancers surrendered just 1.1 goals per game despite playing a daunting schedule. The team recorded five shutouts.

Goncalves was a dynamic attacker for Grace. He amassed four goals and a team-high eight assists.

The Lancers ended the year with an 11-8-2 record. Grace played nine ranked opponents, earning key upsets of No. 13 Rio Grande and No. 21 Indiana Tech.

After winning the NCCAA national championship in the fall, Grace qualified for the NAIA National Championships this spring for the third time in team history.

Academically, Grace had a number of NCCAA Scholar-Athletes, including: Tyler Brueckman, Shemar DeGannes, Korry Hamlin, Miranda, Kyle Smith, Marcelo Talamas, Alex Vandeyacht and Colton Wottring.