No. 20 Grace Upends No. 8 IWU in CL Semifinals

MARION, Ind. - Grace's men's soccer team continued its march in the Crossroads League Tournament with a 1-0 victory over No. 8 Indiana Wesleyan.

The Lancers sank the second-seeded Wildcats in the semifinals of the CL tourney, securing their spot in the championship match.

Grace will square off with a familiar foe, traveling to No. 4 Bethel on Tuesday at 5 p.m. for the championship bout. The winner of the CL Tournament will receive an automatic bid to the NAIA National Championships.

The Lancers won both of their tournament games this week by the score of 1-0, each time taking down a team in the NAIA Top 25 poll.

Juan Garcia provided the game-winning goal on Friday night, scoring in the 68th minute.

Neither team was able to take control of the game in the opening half.

The match was played in possession; the teams combined for just four total shots before halftime.

Grace kept the Wildcats largely muted in the first half. The Wildcats did not generate a shot until the final eight minutes of the half when they tried two shots.

The match remained scoreless at the intermission.

The Lancers had a golden opportunity less than five minutes into the second half. Diego Yanes's shot attempt pinged off the goalpost. Juan Garcia's shot in the box shortly afterwards was blocked.

Yanes also had another shot, sending a sharp header (after a cross from Garcia) at the goalkeeper for a save.

 The winning moment came in the 68th minute. Grace moved the ball into the box from two different angles, and a loose ball fell near the top of the box. Garcia connected with the bouncing ball, volleying a shot on his first touch which bounced under the diving goalkeeper and into the back of the net.

IWU had very few chances to respond after Grace's goal. The Lancers' defense was suffocating, allowing the Wildcats just two more shot attempts over the final 33 minutes of regulation. Neither shot attempt was on target.

The Wildcats had one final chance in the closing 10 seconds with a free kick, but Grace's defense took care of the aerial ball, and the Lancers celebrated as the clock expired.

Grace finished the match with a 10-5 advantage in shots, including 8-3 after halftime. 

Ben Kenn needed to make just one save to record the shutout in goal.