Grace’s Joana Schimmel battles with for possession against Eastern Oregon Saturday afternoon in the NAIA opening round. (Photo provided by the Grace College Sports Information Department)

EASTERN OREGON WOMEN’S SOCCER 2, GRACE 1

Grace’s women’s soccer team came up short in the NAIA Opening Round, losing 2-1 to No. 20 Eastern Oregon.

Shelby Fort had Grace’s lone goal as the Lady Lancers were unable to finish off a late-game comeback at 1st Source Bank Field.

The Lady Lancers’ season is not over yet. Grace will advance to the NCCAA National Championships in Kissimmee, Fla., which start Nov. 26. Grace will find out its bracket and opponents in the coming days.

Eastern Oregon shocked Grace early. The Mountaineers (16-2-2) capitalized on a defensive miscue, and Taylor Boyer struck a long shot just beyond the reach of Bethany Blackwood for the opening goal at the 3:22 mark.

Grace recovered quickly and had several opportunities. The Mountaineers nearly committed an own goal, and the Lady Lancers (18-4) also had a pair of corner kicks in dangerous positions.

Jenni Phillips and Corinne Villalobos each tried low shots that were saved.

EOU doubled its lead late in the half, only seven minutes before halftime. Kaitlyn McLeod tried another shot from outside the penalty box, slicing her attempt inside the far post at the 37:58 mark.

Grace entered halftime behind 2-0. The Lady Lancers outshot EOU 12-5 and had a 5-0 edge in corner kicks over the first 45 minutes.

Grace was dangerous almost immediately into the second half. Kristen Bellinger tried a long free kick that was destined for the upper-90, but EOU’s goalkeeper made a leaping save.

Not long after, Allison Vroon was saved near the top edge of the penalty box. Anna Kuhl stepped up and tried the free kick, but her hard effort was also saved.

The Mountaineers continued to absorb Grace’s pressure, content to counterattack and trust their goalkeeper. The Lady Lancers stayed on EOU’s half of the field for most of the second half, holding possession and looking for holes in the Mountaineers’ defense.

Grace finally broke onto the scoreboard in the final 10 minutes. Phillips was fouled as she advanced toward EOU’s goal, drawing a penalty kick. Shelby Fort stepped up and blasted the PK past the goalkeeper in the 82:04 mark.

The Lady Lancers attempted to complete the comeback over the final frantic eight minutes, but Grace came up empty.

Villalobos had the only shot attempt of the last eight minutes. She made a weaving run through the middle of EOU’s defense, and her curling shot was saved.

For the game, Grace outshot EOY 21-7. The Mountaineers directed six of their seven shots on goal. The Lady Lancers also had an 8-1 advantage in corner kicks.

Phillips, Kuhl, Liz Van Wormer, Bellinger and Joana Schimmel each shot three times, and Villalobos had two shots on goal.

Saturday’s game was Grace’s second time hosting an NAIA Opening Round match. Grace earned the spot as the No. 15 seed after winning the regular season championship of the Crossroads League.

GRACE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL 102, SILVER LAKE 59

Grace’s women’s basketball team eclipsed the century mark again with a 102-59 win over Silver Lake on Saturday.

The win concludes a perfect weekend for the Lady Lancers (5-4) at the Carol Forbes Classic.
Despite scoring 102 points, no player for Grace had more than Brooke Sugg’s 15 points. She made a trio of 3-pointers to go along with three assists.

Overall 12 of the 13 players for Grace scored at least four points in a balanced afternoon.

Grace did the bulk of its damage early against the Lakers (2-6). An early 10-0 run for Grace in the first quarter turned a two-point deficit into an eight-point lead. Kamryn Hostetler had five points, including an and-1, and Sugg buried a triple.

Pam Miller gave Grace a boost to end the period. She scored eight points in less than two minutes. Lauren Godfrey ended the quarter with a 3-pointer, handing Grace a 32-13 lead.

Grace’s 3-point barrage continued in the second quarter, which helped the Lady Lancers continue to expand their lead.

Brielle Wilson hit three 3-pointers in the period, growing Grace’s lead to 28 points. In the last minute, Kyannah Stull and Sugg hit a pair of treys. The Lady Lancers went into halftime ahead 60-29.

Grace continued to ease away in the second half despite emptying its bench throughout the half. The Lady Lancers’ lead blossomed to 40 in the fourth quarter en route to the final 43-point margin of victory.

As a team Grace made 13 more field goals, nabbed 15 steals and had 25 assists with 14 turnovers. Silver Lake had 27 turnovers while shooting 41 percent from the floor.

Wilson finished with 14 points, 3 assists and 3 steals by burying 4-of-9 from beyond the arc, and Godfrey was 3-of-6 from the 3-point line for 11 points.

Miller shot 5-of-7 for 10 points, Kaylie Warble finished with seven points and eight boards, and Hostetler added 8 points, 5 assists and 2 steals.

Brooke Treadway had a balanced game with 9 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists, Vironnica Drake and Stull each scored seven, and Lexi Minix tallied 6 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals.

The Lady Lancers kick off the Crossroads League season on Tuesday at No. 15 Indiana Wesleyan at 6 p.m.

GRACE MEN’S BASKETBALL 108, EMMAUS 65

Grace’s men’s basketball team continued its unbeaten start to the season with a 108-65 win over Emmaus Bible on Saturday.

Grace ended the weekend with two wins in the Terry Polston Hoops for Hope, which raises money for local cancer care in Kosciusko County.

All 14 players for the Lancers (8-0) made a field goal, led by 16 points by Tim Swanson. He needed only 16 minutes to shoot 7-of-9 from the floor for his 16 points, and Headen Deaton added 15 points, 5 rebounds and 2 assists in 18 minutes.

Logan Godfrey also did major damage in limited minutes. He shot 6-of-8 from the floor, producing 15 points in less than 16 minutes of action.

The Lancers quickly assumed a 10-point lead in Saturday’s game. Braxton Linville and Deaton buried back-to-back 3-pointers to put Grace ahead 17-7 after five minutes.

Grace’s scoring continued at a torrid pace in the first half, and the Lancers claimed a 50-20 edge at halftime. The Lancers shot 57 percent from the floor compared to 26 percent for Emmaus.

Emmaus trailed by at least 30 points for the duration of the second half, and the Lancers cruised to a comfortable 43-point win.

Jaret Sons scored 10 points while shooting 4-of-5, Linville handed out nine assists, and Martin Schiele had eight points and two assists.

Eddie Gill IV tallied 6 points, 4 boards and 2 assists, Joseph Smith added six points and six boards, and David Holden chipped in six points and three rebounds.

For the game Grace shot 63 percent from the floor, 50 percent from beyond the arc and 77 percent from the foul line. The Lancers committed nine turnovers and owned a plus-13 advantage in rebounding.

At the tournament’s conclusion, Deaton and Sons were named to the All-Tournament Team. Schiele was also named the inaugural winner of the Charles Hollar Mental Attitude award.

The Lancers kick off Crossroads League play next week. Grace travels to the defending NAIA champion No. 1 Indiana Wesleyan on Tuesday at 8 p.m.