Coach Heger will be back on the sidelines this fall.

While most of us were glued to our televisions watching the NCAA Final Four basketball tournament, Coach Heger was busy at work hoping to get his USSF D License for coaching soccer.  The USSF course requires two weekends of play, lecture, coaching sessions, and peer critique.  Coach Heger took his course down in Lansing the first weekend in April and completed the course two weeks later.  In the end Coach Heger walked away with his D License certification.

“One of Coach Heger’s greatest qualities is his amazing work ethic and dedication to the game of soccer,” said Coach Vissia.  “He is an individual who isn’t willing to settle but always is challenging himself.  Obtaining this license required a lot of time, effort, and money, all of which Coach Heger volunteered.  Grace is truly blessed to have him on the sideline.   He does a great job modeling what it looks like to constantly strive for excellence.  This is certainly one of the many characteristics we want our student-athletes to be exposed to while attending GBC.”

This past weekend Coach Yon traveled down to Columbus, Ohio for the final cut of the 2013 Deaflympic Team.  In the end Coach Yon was notified that she had made the 22 person roster and will have the opportunity to play in Turkey this July.  “I didn’t think my play was sharp on day one of the weekend, but was pleased with my second day’s performance,” commented Coach Yon.  “It takes a little bit of time to readjust to the fast pace level of play.  I will continue to train over the next couple of months in order to be ready to help the team defend our gold medal.”

The 2013 Deaflympic Team (Coach Yon is pictured in the front row, third person from the left.)

Destiny Banasihan

The Grace soccer team is looking forward to adding Destiny Banasihan to the roster this coming fall.  Destiny was born and raised on the island of Kaua’i in Hawaii.  She attended Kaua’i High School and then moved on to Azusa Pacific University in California.  After two years at Azusa she transferred to Grace.  Destiny has been playing soccer for twelve years and played for her high school team in Hawaii all four years.

“Destiny practiced with us a few times last season and it was obvious she could help out up front,” said Coach Vissia.  “She has good vision of the entire field and has a knack for finishing the ball.  The best thing about having Destiny join the team is her focus on eternity.  Her desire truly is to serve God in all that she does.”

Destiny is seeking a Worship Arts degree at Grace.  She had no intention of majoring in music until God uncovered His plan to her.  She was seriously considering giving up soccer so she could focus on other responsibilities but God gave her a peace about glorifying Him while playing.  Now Destiny plans on making an impact on the field but more importantly for His kingdom.  She desires that this soccer season be a light for Christ to all who come into contact with the team.  Destiny commented, “I am so excited to be on the field and build relationships with my team members and coaches.”

Jessica Pegg will make an immediate impact for GBC

Jessica Pegg recently committed to attending Grace Bible College and playing on the women’s soccer team this coming fall.  Jessica brings a great deal of experience to the Lady Tiger squad.  She has been playing club soccer for the past 13 years and has played four years of high school soccer at Allegan.  Jessica is a three year varsity starter and is currently one of the team captains.  Along with playing soccer Jessica has run for the varsity cross country program earning all-conference and all-county honors.  Academically, Jessica is a four year honor roll student and scholar-athlete.  She is planning on studying business management at GBC.

“I have had the support of my family to serve God, work hard in school and work hard in my sports.  I really look forward to playing soccer on Grace’s team and furthering my faith with Christ at Grace Bible College as well,” stated Jessica.  Jessica has a strong basis of support behind her.  She is extremely thankful for the encouragement given to her by her mother (Amy), father (Michael), sisters (Lindsey, Ashley, and Elizabeth), grandparents, Aunt Shelly, Uncle Tad, and many other family members.

“The coaching staff at Grace is thrilled to have a quality player like Jessica join our team,” said Coach Vissia.  “Her experience and knowledge of the game will help take us to the next level as a program.  She is an extremely fit athlete and doesn’t shy away from contact in the least.  I believe she will work very well at the midfield with Courtney Glinka.  We will be young in the middle but these two girls love the game and it is also obvious that they love to win.  It should make for an exciting fall season.  It is our hope that Jessica continues to make strides as a soccer player.  However, it is our greatest desire to see Jessica press on in her faith as a sister in Christ.”

The Lady Tigers’ schedule was finalized this past week.  The calendar boasts a full agenda containing an 18 game slate.  The fall season will hold 9 games at the friendly confines of Velting Field and the other 9 games will be away from Grand Rapids.  The Tigers will be traveling to five different states around the Midwest including Illinois, Wisconsin, Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana.

“Away trips are always a great way for the team to bond and grow closer together,” said Coach Vissia.  “When reflecting on a season the road trips always stand out because of the  memories that have been made as a team.  Away trips give the players a little more freedom to get to know each other on a deeper level a part from campus.”

The Lady Tigers will travel around the Great Lakes Region this fall

The Lady Tiger coaching staff has been extremely busy recently wrapping up the recruiting class of 2012 and establishing new contacts for the 2013 soccer season.  This past week saw the coaches traveling up to Hart, down to Middleville, and finally over to a 30 team preseason scrimmage held at Grand Valley University and Jension high school.  The pace will slow just a bit this coming week with visits to Hudsonville on Monday evening, followed by a trip down to Battle Creek on Thursday night.  Because of the unseasonably warm weather this spring, high school teams have been able to practice outside from the beginning of the season.   This has translated into early scrimmages and pre-spring break matches.

“We are still looking for a few players to close out the 2012 recruiting class,” said Coach Vissia.  “We are pleased with the relationships that have been established up to this point and are extremely excited to see what the results are this coming fall.  We have also started to look at prospective players for the 2013 and 2014 seasons.  It has been a crazy few weeks but the ladies we’ve met and the play we’ve observed have been well worth the effort.”

If you or someone you know have not committed to a particular college or university and are interested in playing collegiate soccer, the coaching staff at Grace would be interested in watching you play.  Please feel free to contact Coach Vissia at svissia@gbcol.edu.

Above: Bree Stowers distributes against Northland International University who held the Midwest Regional Tournament last fall.

The Lady Tigers will be hosting the NCCAA Midwest Regional Tournament for women’s soccer next fall.  The tournament is slated for Friday, October 26 and Saturday, October 27 at Velting Field.  “We are very excited to have the opportunity of holding the tournament on our campus,” stated Coach Vissia.  “I believe that it gives our ladies a distinct advantage.  Last year we had to make the 9 hour trip up to Northland University and I think the long trip was evident in the way we played.  Northland ended up beating us 2-1 and went on to win the tournament and a trip to the National Tournament in Florida.  It would truly be thrilling to get the same results.”

After a long winter outdoor soccer will soon be here

Although the weather this weekend definitely has been winter-like, there are several undeniable signs of spring upon us.  March Madness is here with the Tiger men’s basketball team traveling down to nationals once again, GBC is currently on spring break and many students are traveling to warmer climates, high school girls’ soccer is starting up in just one week, and outdoor soccer will quickly be here.

“One of the keys for improving our program is for the ladies to play more in the off-season,” stated Coach Yon.  “Every player and every team improves during the fall when practice is required and the season is in full swing.  However, the seperation between the average player and the great player takes place out of season.  We are encouraging our returning players to take their game to the next level by being even more dedicated this spring and summer.  Our recruits will be playing their final high school season this spring and then it will be their turn to continue to grow into the summer.  We are hoping to reap the benefits of the additional touches on the ball this August when the actual season begins.”

The Lady Tigers are anxiously awaiting the upcoming fall season.  With a solid core of returning players, several strong committed freshman, the real possibility of a few impact transfer players, and the same coaching staff, GBC is looking for improvement once again.  “We are certainly anticipating the fall season,” said Coach Vissia.  “We saw a lot of improvement during the 2011 fall campaign and are confident that trend will continue during 2012.  We still have a few positions to fill with in coming recruits and once those spots are taken we’ll be able to focus a little more on formations and strategy that will get the most production out of this group.”

Cold temperatures, snow, and blowing wind did not keep 110 dedicated soccer players from attending the Premier Soccer Combine inWaterford,Michiganon Saturday afternoon.  Players from all across the state and even surrounding states came to the combine to put their talent on display for over 30 college coaches.  “The quality of play was impressive,” stated Coach Vissia.  “It was obvious that these girls love the game of soccer and have a strong desire to play at the next level.”

“I felt many contacts were made at this event and hopefully it was the first of many positive interactions between Grace and prospective students.  There were nine players that I focused on specifically because of their ages, playing abilities, positions, and academic interests.  Many individuals on the east side of the state aren’t familiar withGraceBibleCollege. We are simply hoping to plant a seed in their minds for future reference.  If one of these players decides to come to Grace because of the combine, the trip was more than worthwhile.  The exciting thing is that the development of the women’s soccer program at Grace is being used to attract prospective students.  Hopefully the end results are exposure to Christ and changed lives for His glory.”