The Cardinals of Andrews University paid a visit to GBC Tuesday afternoon.  The match saw both teams having opportunities but finishing did not come easily for either side.  The score was knotted at 0-0 through 90 minutes of play and required an overtime session to determine the winner.  Unfortunately for the Lady Tigers the matches ended just two minutes into the first overtime favoring the Cardinals.

“It certainly was a disappointing match,” commented Coach Heger.  “We had our opportunities but didn’t seem to adjust in the second half or the overtime.  We are simply hoping that the girls continue to fight.  Things will fall into place if that happens.”

The Lady Tigers will take on Cornerstone University Friday evening.  The two teams are attempting to raise $30,000 for mosquito nets for families in Africa.

Kerie Rudd had a great game in net for the Lady Tigers

After a tight match on Friday afternoon the Tigers found themselves against a solid Oakland City University squad Saturday morning.  The short turn around proved to be difficult for Grace to overcome.  The match was entirely dominated by the Lady Oaks and things truly never settled down for the Tigers.  Oakland City ended with 35 shots on frame while GBC never threatened.  The Lady Oaks found the back of the net 6 times in the onslaught.  Kerie Rudd was in net for most of the match, played an outstanding game, and tallied 26 saves.  Courtney Glinka also saw a few minutes between the pipes and added 3 saves of her own.  Kayleigh Holton and Sarah Steenwyk also chipped in with quality performances.

Anna Lange surveys the field

“Although the weekend didn’t produce any wins, we were able to play around with the lineup, learned about each other, and focus on the bigger picture,” commented Coach Yon.  “We are obviously working on building the program and these girls are showing a lot.  There are still many matches to be played and much to be learned.  We are persevering through this difficult stretch and are seeing character develop as a result.”

The Tigers will attempt to quickly turn things around facing Andrews University on Tuesday afternoon at 4:00.

Sarah Steenwyk looking to attack

The Grace Bible College Tigers made the eight hour trip down to Owensboro, Kentucky on Friday to battle the Bearcats of Brescia.  The ladies fought hard throughout the 90 minutes of play but in the end dropped the match in a close decision 1-2.  The Tigers had a strong wind at their backs in the first half and capitalized on the opportunity.  With only 5 minutes left in the first half Courtney Glinka threw a ball into a streaking Jessica Pegg.  Pegg took a positive touch away from her defender which created enough space for her to rip a ball from 25 yards out.  The 1-0 stood until 25 minutes left in the match when the Bearcats capitalized on a corner kick.  GBC was trying desperately to send the game into overtime but with only 4 minutes remaining in the game Brescia added the winning goal.  The loss was a heartbreaker but the Tigers will need to recover quickly as they will face Oakland City University Saturday morning.

Niki Gray advances the ball up the field

Kayleigh Holton and Jessica Pegg track back defensively.

The Tigers made strides of improvement Saturday afternoon against the Knights of Kentucky Christian but still ended up on the short end of the stick.  The Knights attacked early netting all four goals in the first half.  The Tigers, however, held their ground over the next 45 minutes pitching a shutout out in the second half.  Without any substitutes and actually playing down for nearly 10 minutes, the performance was a gutsy one.

Maggie Segalla looking for options.

“We are only 5 matches into the season at this point and the line up has been constantly changing because of injury and other circumstances,” commented Coach Heger.  “I believe we will see marked improvement once we have some stability over a few weeks time.”

GBC was outshot 19-5 with most of its goal scoring opportunities appearing in the second half.  “I like the way we play in the second half,” stated Coach Yon.  “We seem to get better as the game moves along.  It is now finding that same drive during the first half.”

Grace will travel down to Kentucky this coming weekend for a match on Friday and up to Indiana for a game on Saturday.  The team is looking forward to a chance of redemption.

Olivia Rigg battles for a ball in the second half.

Holly Haney dribbles out of the back.

Grace traveled to Battle Creek on Tuesday afternoon to play Kellogg Community College. The outcome was not favorable for the visiting Tigers.  KCC controlled play from the beginning of the match until the end riffling 29 shots on frame to one for GBC.  Grace held on 0-1 until the final minute of the first half when the Bruins netted their second goal.  They added two more goals in the second half.  Kerie Rudd made 25 saves for the Tigers.  Although the match was lopsided the GBC coaching staff was still proud of the effort displayed by the girls.  “It certainly wasn’t a pretty match but the girls never gave up and played hard for 90 minutes,” stated Coach Yon.

The Tigers have two home games this weekend and hope to have better performances.

Kerie Rudd takes the goal kick.

The Lady Tigers made the trip down to Circleville, Ohio for the afternoon match up against the Trailblazers of Ohio Christian.  The results were not favorable for the visiting team but there were bright spots.  The Trailblazers led 0-2 at half and had many opportunities to widen the score.  The Tiger defense struggled to stop penetration and the both goal come as a result of breakdowns in the back leading to brake away finishes.  GBC had chances of their own but simply couldn’t capitalize in the first half.  The second half saw improved play by Grace and a better build-up and attack.  After Ohio Christian added a third goal, Sarah Steenwyk got the Tigers on the board making it 1-3.  Jessica Pegg beat her defender and slotted a beautiful ball to the foot of Steenwyk who beat the keeper on a solid shot that was low and in the corner.  GBC started taking more risks to attempt to tighten the match when the Trailblazers scored their final tally.

Erin Befus attempting to keep the ball out of the middle in the back.

“It was an interesting game,” noted Coach Vissia.  “The opportunities were there but the attack in the final third wasn’t consistent enough to get us what we needed.  We have things to improve upon defensively but I’m confident we will solve our problems with intentional practices.  Offensively we simply need to frame more balls.”

There will be little rest for the Tigers as they travel to Battle Creek on Tuesday to play KCC.  That match is slated for a 5:00 pm start.

Lisse Schuerman dribbles the ball out of pressure.

On Saturday afternoon the Crusaders of Maranatha Baptist Bible College visited GBC for a 2:00 matchup.  From the beginning of the match the Crusaders controlled played and out possessed the Tigers.  Maranatha scored nearly twenty minutes into the first half and threatened several other times.  However, Grace showed a lot of heart and grit by only being down one at the half.  The second half was a more balanced battle with both sides having opportunities.  Twenty minutes into the second half Jessica Pegg took a corner kick placing it perfectly inside the box.  Destiny Banasihan approached the ball aggressively by running through it and placing it squarely on frame only to have a Crusader defender deflect the would be goal.  Ten minutes later Courtney Glinka attempted to chip the Crusader keeper, who had come out of the box, but the ball sailed just over the crossbar.  With fifteen  minutes left in the game the Crusaders drove a solid ball from 30 yards out over the outstretched arm of Kerie Rudd.  The final score was 0-2 in favor of the visiting team.  The Crusaders outshot the Lady Tigers 14-5 and Kerie Rudd recorded 12 saves in net.

Jessica Pegg shields the ball from a Maranatha defender.

“We are still building and learning about each other,” stated Coach Vissia after the match.  “We certainly have areas to improve upon but it’s only the beginning of September.  I’m confident that we’ll continue to grow as the season progresses.  The first half of this game was sloppy with little intentional play.  However, I was impressed with the girls’ determination and they showed a quality work ethic refusing to give up.  To their credit, things turned around in the second half and they made a match out of it.  I think we learned a little bit about ourselves this afternoon.”

Things don’t get any easier for the Tigers as the head to Ohio Christian, ranked #6 in the nation, on Friday.

The women’s soccer team played their first match of the season Saturday afternoon at home against the Eagles of Robert Morris Lake County.  The flood gates opened for the home team as the Lady Tigers poured in eleven goals in ninety minutes of play and also shutout the visitors.  GBC was limited in players as injury and other unfortunate circumstances restricted the number of eligible athletes for the afternoon contest.  With obvious huddle to overcome, each individual on the squad realized they would receive plenty of playing time and every player chipped in positively in the win.

Lady Tigers executing a corner kick

Destiny Banasihan led all scorers in the match scoring three goals and establishing herself as the first player in GBC women’s soccer history to record a hat trick.  Sarah Steenwyk, Holly Haney, and Jessica Daugherty all added two goals each while Kerie Rudd and Jessica Pegg also netted goals.  Courtney Glinka and Jessica Pegg both tallied two assists each in the contest.  Sarah Steenwyk and Holly Haney had assists in the contest as well.  Finally Kerie Rudd recored the shutout, the fifth of her collegiate career.

“We were very pleased with the offensive production of this match,” stated Coach Heger.  “We’ve struggled finished crossed and slotted balls in the past but today things just seemed to click.  The exciting thing is that the ladies will continue to improve and grow throughout the season.  We are hoping that this is a stepping stone for better things to come.”

Sara Steenwyk and Courtney Clinka working together

The women’s soccer season officially starts on August 25 when the Tigers take on Robert Morris Lake County at 4:30 pm at GBC.  However, the Lady Tigers traveled to Muskegon to get a warm-up match in before Saturday’s first game.  The scrimmage turned out to be a good learning experience for the Tigers.  “We tried many different formations, line-ups, and tactical approaches just to see how the girls would respond,” said Coach Vissia.  “As coaches we were able to learn quite a bit and we will make changes based on today’s scrimmage.”

M.C.C. had the upper hand from the beginning with a 22 player roster that boasts a fair amount of talent.  Because of injuries and sickness the Tigers were limited to only 11 players and no substitutes.  For the first 20 minutes the ladies held their own not allowing any goals but as time continued fatigue was definitely an issue.  “We simply don’t have our game legs under us yet and it was obvious after the first 20 minutes,” commented Coach Yon.  The final was 5-0 with M.C.C. scoring all of their goals inside the 18.

Tomorrow marks the beginning of the women’s soccer season at GBC.  “We are eagerly anticipating working with this group of ladies,” commented Coach Yon.  “A new season always brings its challenges but they are far outweighed by the benefits.”  The first practice will begin at 9:00 am tomorrow morning and it will be a whirlwind preseason for the Tigers.  “We need to move through the technical training quickly and advance into tactical aspects since our first scrimmage is only 10 days away.  The girls pick things up quickly so I’m confident that will be able to occur.  There is no doubt we are looking forward to the third fall of women’s soccer at Grace.”