Thomas Tydeman of Grace battles for possession of the ball Saturday. The host Lancers tied Bluefield 1-1 (Photo provided by Chantel Shetler)

WINONA LAKE – The Grace College men’s soccer team and Bluefield could not be separated after 110 minutes of grueling action on Saturday night, settling for a 1-1 draw.

Grace’s match with Bluefield was physical from the start, resulting 54 fouls, 9 yellow cards and 1 red card. Both goals were scored in the same, unusual fashion.

Bluefield got on the scoreboard early, earning a corner kick in the first minute. The Rams (1-1-1) promptly curled their corner into Grace’s net to take a shocking 1-0 lead at the 1:14 mark.

The Lancers (3-0-1) recovered and had several threatening opportunities of their own in the half. Ten minutes into the match, Grace had two golden chances.

Thomas Tydeman sprinted by his defender, but his one-on-one chance was saved. The rebound fell to Mitchell Zeilenga, but his effort also resulted in an acrobatic stop by the Rams’ goalkeeper.

Grace continued to earn the better part of possession in the first half and applied pressure on Bluefield’s goal.

 With 15 minutes left in the half, Grace had a free kick near the top of the penalty box. A nifty build-up ended in a blast by Cody Boerema that forced a diving save by the goalie.

The half ended 1-0 in Bluefield’s favor, but the score was about to even up after halftime.

The second half started with both teams getting chances on offense. The Rams fired off seven shots after halftime and managed to hold their 1-0 lead into the 70th minute.

In the 73rd minute, Grace earned a corner kick on the opposite side of where Bluefield scored in the first half. This time it was Grace’s turn to score on a corner. Boerema bent in his right-footed effort direct off the corner, curling his effort high above the goalkeeper and into the far post netting to tie the game.

Neither side could find a winner in regulation, sending the game into overtime for the second time in the Lancers’ season.

Fatigue began to set in during the overtime periods as the fouls and cards began to accumulate. The Rams were responsible for five yellow cards and inevitably picked up a red card with just 2:20 left in the second overtime.

The play of the match might have occurred in the final minute. As both teams scrambled for a last-minute charge, the Rams broke free with 40 seconds on the clock. Bluefield’s Kevin Stoffle found himself completely open in the penalty box, primed for a dramatic game winner. But Grace goalkeeper Robbie Barnhill guessed correctly and parried away Stoffle’s shot to effectively preserve the draw for both squads.

Barnhill came up with four saves in 110 minutes of action. Boerema led Grace with three shots on goal, and Tydeman took two shots.

Saturday’s game was the inaugural match for Grace at the newly renamed 1st Source Bank Field. A ceremony was held prior to Grace’s match to officially rename the soccer stadium.