Grace Men’s Soccer 4, Indiana Wesleyan 1

Grace College’s men’s soccer team picked up its fifth straight win with a 4-1 victory over Indiana Wesleyan.

With the victory, the Lancers move to within one point of the league-leading Bethel Pilots with one game remaining in the regular season.

Grace also already secured a top-three finish in the Crossroads League standings. A win or draw on Saturday would mean the Lancers would finish no worse than second and have the potential to host two CL Tournament matches.

Grace finishes the regular season at Mt. Vernon Nazarene on Saturday at 7 p.m.

Just minutes after the opening whistle, the Lancers (9-8, 6-2 Crossroads League) found the back of the net. Daniel Santos Rosa passed to Connor Pugh who blasted in a goal to hand Grace a 1-0 advantage just four minutes into the contest.

The lead was short-lived; the Wildcats (9-5-2, 3-3-2 CL) scored the equalizer four minutes later.

Within 15 minutes of IWU’s equalizer, Grace seized control of the match.

In the 22nd minute, Flavio Cruz crossed the ball to Martim Cardoso. Cardoso scored for his 10th tally of the season.

Two minutes after Cardoso’s marker, great team passing led to a scoring opportunity for Jonny Mora. Felipe Gruber and Ze Maria Goncalves connected for a dangerous possession, and Jonny Mora finished off the goal to put the Lancers on top 3-1.

Neither team would find another marker before the conclusion of the half as the Lancers took a 3-1 advantage into the intermission.

Matteo Conci made two saves in the first period, and both teams tried seven shots.

Offense was slower after halftime with a handful of shots over the first 20 minutes. One of those attempts resulted in Grace’s fourth goal.

TJ White picked out Ethan Vigario, who beat the IWU goalkeeper for the final 4-1 scoreline.

Grace’s possession and defense largely kept IWU from presenting any danger as the minutes ticked off the clock. The Wildcats had just one shot attempt over the final 15 minutes of regulation as the Lancers secured the road win.

Nine different players for Grace registered a goal or an assist in the win, showcasing a balanced effort across the pitch.

Conci registered three saves in the victory.

Indiana Wesleyan Women’s Soccer 1, Grace 0

The NAIA Top-15 matchup between No. 15 Grace’s women’s soccer team and No. 9 Indiana Wesleyan lived up to the hype on Wednesday.

IWU escaped 1st Source Bank Field with a 1-0 win with the only difference in the match being a 23-yard free kick goal.

The match started evenly with each team trying a few shots over the opening 15 minutes. IWU pressed aggressively, slowing Grace’s usual possession-based approach.

The Wildcats found the first goal of the match on their first shot on goal. After being awarded a free kick, the Wildcats buried a deep free kick to take a 1-0 lead midway through the opening half.

JJ Aalbue and Madison Tuma both had shots for Grace, proving to be the Lady Lancers’ most threatening moments.

Neither team could find the back of the net again, resulting in a 1-0 IWU lead at halftime. The squads both fired five shots with two being on frame.

Offense was hard to come by to start the second half. Just two shots were attempted over the first 20 minutes.

Grace began to find its possession midway into the second half. Danae Moriarty was a constant threat on IWU’s defensive line, completing a number of dribbling runs along the left side of the field.

The Lady Lancers continued to be the offensive aggressors as Grace’s possession seemed to wear down the Wildcats. Grace had a strong run of possession for long periods throughout the final 20 minutes.

Grace had several dangerous moments, including chances from JJ Aalbue, Moriarty and Alexis Larimore. But Grace was unable to make good on those moments, including twice losing the ball in the penalty box after slipping on the wet grass.

IWU held on late to grab the 1-0 victory, withstanding Grace’s final attacks.

Aalbue led Grace with three shots, and Moriarty and Larimore each shot twice.

The Lady Lancers end the regular season at home on Saturday. Grace hosts Mt. Vernon Nazarene at 1st Source Bank Field at 7 p.m. The teams are separated by just one win in the league standings, meaning Grace and MVNU may square off again in the quarterfinals of the Crossroads League Tournament.

Grace Volleyball 3, Goshen 1

Senior Night was a smashing success for Grace’s volleyball team.

The Lady Lancers honored lone senior Gina Novotny before the match, and then Grace proceeded to make quick work of Goshen on Wednesday during a 3-0 sweep.

Grace excelled at nearly every facet of the game. The Lady Lancers had almost 30 more kills than the Maple Leafs (49 to 20), held Goshen to a .093 attack percentage and served up seven aces.

The Lady Lancers’ offense was explosive in the opening set. Grace racked up 20 kills in a 25-15 victory. Anna Frey started the match with seven kills in the set, tallying more kills than Goshen’s entire team produced (6).

Grace’s defense held Goshen to just five kills in the second set. The Lady Lancers rolled to a 12-point win, taking a commanding lead in the match.

The Maple Leafs did not have much of a fight in the third set. An early 5-0 run gave Grace separation, and the Lady Lancers cruised to a 25-14 win to cap off the sweep.

Frey amassed 11 kills, 8 digs and 2 aces, and Alisha Leffring added 11 kills (on just two errors), 1 solo block and 4 block assists.

Jadyn Ross finished with 10 kills with only one error, and Jenna Mueller tallied eight kills on 14 swings.

Emily Peterson and Morgan Syoen each had 19 assists, and Peterson also chipped in five kills and three block assists.

Novotny, the program’s all-time leader in digs, added to her record with 23 digs. Grace Erwin had nine digs, and McKenzie Stakely finished with four digs and two aces.

The Lady Lancers end the regular season on Saturday, playing at Spring Arbor at 3 p.m. Grace currently sits seventh in the league standings, one game ahead of Huntington and St. Francis.