Graces Opens With Dramatic OT Win
SAVANNAH, Ga. – The 2016 season kicked off with a flair for Grace’s men’s soccer team.
The Lancers came from behind to claim a 2-1 win in overtime on Saturday at Savannah College of Art and Design.
Dominic Harris provided the game-winning strike in the final minute of the first overtime period.
The senior forward received a long ball from Robbie Barnhill, outmuscled his defender and played a shot over the goalkeeper to end the match in dramatic fashion.
The Lancers (1-0) had to recover from an early deficit. The Bees (0-1) found the back of the net in the third minute, scoring directly off a corner kick.
The score remained 1-0 through halftime. SCAD held a slight 8-7 advantage in shots.
“SCAD was disciplined early on with their press, but our guys did a pretty good job of absorbing the pressure,” said Grace coach Matt Hotchkin. “The guys bounced back from that first goal, and we changed things up for the second half. We starting getting better opportunities after that.”
Grace found the equalizer at the 69:37 mark. Cody Boerema scored in his first collegiate game, blasting in a long shot off a set piece. Daniel Smith earned the assist on the play.
Neither team managed to score the winner in regulation, sending the match into extra time. The Bees maintained a 9-5 lead in shots in the second half and had a 2-0 advantage in corner kicks.
The first overtime ticked away until the final minute. Harris’s golden goal winner happened with just 14 seconds left on the clock, providing a memorable start to Grace’s season.
“It wasn’t pretty soccer tonight, and we have a lot to work on. We also had to overcome adversity with losing one of our captains,” Hotchkin said. “We will focus on building with each other off the field, and we will strive for constant improvement on it.”
Overall, SCAD held a 19-14 lead in shots for the game. Damon Binkley led Grace with five shots and two on goal, and Thomas Tydeman took two shots.
Four players made their Lancer debuts on Saturday, including Boerema, Breno Oliveira, Brayton Taylor and Henrique Cerruti.
Barnhill earned the win in goal for Grace, recording seven saves for the match.
The Lancers will stay down south for a match in South Carolina. Grace will play at Columbia International on Tuesday at 7 p.m.