Florida National hands Lancers first loss
COLUMBIA, Ky. – An early defensive lapse cost Grace’s men’s soccer team on Saturday in a 4-1 defeat against Florida National.
The Lancers were playing their second consecutive day after tying No. 9 Lindsey Wilson through 110 minutes of action. Grace’s slow start resulted in its first loss of the season.
Florida National took advantage of the Lancers in the early stages.
The Conquistadors cranked out two shots in the first three minutes. Grace never recovered and surrendered the first goal of the match in the fifth minute.
The Lancers struggled to regain control of the contest and quickly surrendered two more goals in the 11th and 12th minutes.
Florida National went into halftime ahead 3-0 despite only taking three shots on goal. The Lancers recorded five shots and two on goal before halftime, but they were unable to get on the scoresheet.
Grace picked up two corner kicks and a shot in the opening minutes of the second half but to no avail. The Lancers outshot Florida National 7-4 over the final 45 minutes, but Grace was unable to pull closer.
The Conquistadors scored their fourth goal at the 82:25 mark.
Grace managed a consolation goal at the end. Damon Binkley finished off an assist from Kyle Smith in the final minute of play for the final 4-1 scoreline.
“Florida National is a solid team with strong, composed players. We didn’t start well, and the score reflected it. The game evened out after 15 minutes, but by then it was too late,” said Grace head coach Matt Hotchkin. “We will learn from this and move on. Togo Narusawa played a good game, and I also thought that Korry Hamlin and Kyle Smith showed a solid work rate.”
Grace was only outshot 14-12 in the match, and both teams recorded seven corner kicks.
The Lancers return home on Wednesday for an 8 p.m. match against Aquinas. The match will be the second half of a women’s/men’s doubleheader at 1st Source Bank Field.