Trio of goals leads Grace to win
WINONA LAKE, Ind. – Grace’s men’s soccer team was in need of a win, and the Lancers delivered on Tuesday.
The Lancers trumped Marian 3-0 at 1st Source Bank Field thanks to goals from Jordan Jayapuram, Ze Maria Goncalves and Tyler Brueckman.
Grace held an impressive 15-5 advantage in shot attempts in the match, largely limiting the Knights (3-7-2, 2-5-2 Crossroads League) to a few chances.
The Lancers (3-3-2, 3-3-2 CL) wasted little time taking control of the match. Grace grabbed the lead just eight minutes into the game.
Ulisses Miranda passed to Jayapuram, who netted at the 7:16 mark for a 1-0 advantage.
The lead doubled 11 minutes later. Goncalves scored off an assist by Dan Allen in the 19th minute.
Marian did not register a shot until the 19th minute when the guests already faced a 2-0 deficit.
Over a four-minute stretch midway into the half, Marian tried two shots with three corner kicks. But Grace’s defense held firm.
Marian only managed two shots and one corner kick over the other 41 minutes of the half as Grace led 2-0 at halftime.
The second half was controlled even more by Grace. Marian was muted offensively to just one shot and zero corner kicks over the final 45 minutes of regulation.
The Lancers tried seven shots, including two that hit the crossbar. Miranda and Goncalves each hit the woodwork within a two-minute span late in the game.
But Grace managed to squeeze in a late insurance goal, taking advantage of Marian pressing for a goal.
Goncalves sparked the counterattack, winning possession near midfield. He played a ball behind Marian’s defenders to Tyler Brueckman, who dribbled around the goalkeeper and calmly slotted his shot into the net in the final minute of play.
Joe Bowles and Grace’s defense took care of the rest. Bowles made four saves to register the shutout, and he was defended well by the backline of Korry Hamlin, Flavio Cruz and Allen as well as Kyle Smith, Michael Coupar and Kegan Shiflett.
The Lancers will end the regular season on Thursday with an away match at Mt. Vernon Nazarene. The quarterfinals of the Crossroads League Tournament starts on Saturday with Grace’s opponent and location to be determined.