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.