Kate Yoder

GOSHEN, Ind. – The good news just keeps rolling in for Goshen College volleyball coach Jim Routhier.  Today, the first-year head coach announced the signing of Iowa native Kate Yoder to a national letter of intent as he continues to put together an impressive 2010 recruiting class.

A 5-foot-6 setter, Yoder was a three-year starter for Mid-Prairie High School in Wellman, Iowa.  In addition to her standout career for the Hawks, she played high level club volleyball for the past five years.

Yoder tallied a career high 513 assists on way to Cedar Valley All Conference honors during her senior season.  As a team captian, Yoder also was second on her Mid-Prairie team with 140 digs and was the only player to start in each of the Hawks’ 26 matches.

With two senior setters graduating in a couple months, Routhier made increasing depth at the position a priority this recruiting season.  Yoder will play alongside fellow incoming Maple Leaf and former All Ohio selection Stacy Wyse this fall.

“This feels like an exciting time to join the Goshen volleyball program, as both of their setters are seniors this year, leaving some big shoes to fill,” said Yoder, who also noted the outstanding run of the Maple Leafs in Routhier’s first season.  “I’m up for the challenge though and look forward to playing alongside an all-state setter in Stacy Wyse, who has just recently signed with Goshen as well.”

“I feel like all the years I played club volleyball and all the time I put into improving and developing my game during the off season has finally paid off,” Yoder added.

The daughter of John and Joni Yoder, Kate will major in either nursing or music at Goshen.  She also will become the second Kate Yoder on the Maple Leaf roster, joining junior middle hitter Katelyn Yoder of Mason, Mich.

Rachael Williams

GOSHEN, Ind. – Just four months after reaching the program’s first ever Mid-Central College Conference Championship match, head coach Jim Routhier continues to put together a team capable of making a return trip toward the top of the conference.

Nearing his first full calendar year at the helm of the Maple Leafs, Routhier made his next step recently with the signing of Rachael Williams out of Royall High School in Kendall, Wisconsin.

Primarily an outside hitter, Williams led the Panthers to two All Scenic Bluff Conference Championships.  They went undefeated in conference play (27-7 overall) with Williams as a senior captain, going on to a region title before falling in the section championship match.

“Rachael is a very good all around player with an excellent attitude and a passion for the game,” Routhier said.  “I am very happy to have her join our team as we continue to push forward for that MCC Championship run.”

Twice named to the All Scenic Bluffs Conference Teams, Williams racked up 265 kills, 84 digs, and 58 service aces during her senior campaign.  Williams has also spent the past four years playing club volleyball for the Wisconsin Power.

“Rachael is a very versatile player with excellent hands,” high school coach Craig Baesman said.  “We moved her to the left the past two years to get her more swings and she became the best outside hitter in the conference.  Rachael has improved every year and has become a great team leader.”

Just as impressive as her versatility on the court, is her ability to serve in multiple capacities off it.  Also a four-year member of the Panthers’ basketball team, she has been in the high school band, drama, and choir groups.

Williams has also served as a member of Student Council, Prom Committee, Homecoming Committee, and 4-H, where she has won numerous regional and state awards for showing the llamas raised on her parents family farm.  Rachael plans on majoring in nursing at Goshen beginning in the fall.

The addition of Williams makes Routhier’s current class four with several more expected over the next few weeks.  She will join current signings Morgan Broderick, Stacy Wyse, and Chelsea Schmucker.

GOSHEN, Ind. – The Goshen College baseball team took advantage of an earlier than expected home opener as they took both ends of a double header against visiting Indiana University – Northwest Tuesday afternoon.

The Maple Leafs added the contest after having a four-game series in Tennessee and Kentucky washed out over the weekend.  They made the most of it as the offense busted out for 24 runs in 13-3 and 11-1 wins.

While the final scorelines obviously favored Goshen, neither game got off to particularly fast starts for the home team.  In the opener, the RedHawks struck first with a single run in the top of the second.  The Maple Leafs answered in the bottom of the frame as freshman Andrew Brawley knocked in Garrett Cannizzo, who doubled with two outs.

Heading into the third tied at 1-1, IU – Northwest rallied for two more runs.  Down 3-1 in the bottom of the third, though, Goshen’s offense finally sparked.  A leadoff single by freshman Corey Johnson set the tone for what became a 10-run inning for the Maple Leafs.

Sophomore Andy Swisher was hit by a pitch twice in the frame, but the biggest blows came off the bat of junior Zach Reed.  The third baseman hit a pair of doubles in the inning, knocking in a total of five runs.

With a huge 11-3 lead, senior starting pitcher Matt Fyfe settled in for his final inning of work in the fourth to gain the win.  Classmate Caleb Kitchell came on for two innings of scoreless relief before the game ended in the bottom of the sixth on the 10-run rule.

Goshen added a run in the fourth on a sacrifice fly by sophomore Jordan Short before adding their final run with two outs in the sixth on an RBI single by Johnson.

Much like the first game, IU – Northwest gained an early lead with a run in the top of the first.  This time around, it took the Maple Leafs only until the second to respond.  They scored four runs each in the second and third innings to jump to another healthy lead.

The second inning was highlighted by a bases clearly, 3-run double by Johnson, while the third saw senior Josh Yates hit his first home run of the season, a two-run shot to left.

Senior Kraig Miller struck out four in his four innings of work and earned his first win of the season.  Classmate Aaron Coy came on to pitch the fifth in the contest, which ended with no outs in the bottom of the fifth.

On the day, Reed went 5-for-7 with four doubles and six RBIs.  Johnson equaled Reed’s RBI total with four hits in six at bats.  Sophomore Garrett Cannizzo went 3-for-4 with a pair of RBIs on the day, while Brawley ended the day 4-for-7, also with two RBIs.

The Maple Leafs have also added a single game against Siena Heights University on Thursday.  Game time is set for 3 p.m.

Dana (left) and Alisha (right) Christner with parents Brian and Loralee and Coach Mounsithiraj

GOSHEN, Ind. – There is an old Chinese saying, “Good things come in pairs.”

Goshen College head women’s soccer coach Thavisith Mounsithiraj hopes that saying is true as he recently announced the signings of twin sisters Dana and Alisha Christner.  The pair were both four-year starters at local Northridge High School where Mounsithiraj is also a guidance counselor.

“I have known both Dana and Alisha for many years and it has been exciting to observe their development not only as tremendous soccer players, but also as outstanding young people,” said Mounsithiraj, who will be coaching his fourth set of twins in his nine-year tenure at Goshen.

The Christner’s were integral parts of Raider teams that took a sectional championship when they were sophomores and added an undefeated Northern Lakes Conference campaign during their senior season.  They also have played four years for the prestigious Northern Magic Soccer Club.

A defender, Alisha is a three-time all NLC pick.  She was named Northridge’s top defensive player in each of her four seasons and was selected to the All District team as a senior.  “Alisha is a natural defenders who works very well with the system that we will be playing,” Mounsithiraj explained.  “She has a very good understanding of both individual and team defending.”

Dana is an outside midfielder and was picked to the All NLC team after an outstanding senior campaign.  “She makes her living on the outside of the pitch with her pace and ability to get around defenders,” Mounsithiraj added.  “Dana – as well as Alisha – is very coacheable and competitive.”

Both Dana and Alisha have been active off the pitch as well.  In addition to their standout soccer careers at Northrdige, both have put on other Raider uniforms.  Alisha played basketball all four years at Northridge, while Dana was a standout member of the track and field team.  With the track season still ahead, Dana was a regional qualifier as a freshman and junior and a state qualifier as a sophomore.

Beyond the athletic realm, the Christener’s both also excel in the classroom.  Dana and Alisha are both members of the National Honor Society, have spent four years in choir, and are active in the Siloam Mennonite Church youth group.

“Both Dana and Alisha value the rich and strong education Goshen College has to offer,” Mounsithiraj said.  “They have done an excellent job in balancing a very rigorous course of study and sports at Northrdige.  Furthermore, they both are very well aware of the importance of giving and service to others, which also is something that I value in our recruits.”

The daughters of Brian and Loralee Christner, Dana and Alisha join Bethany Christian standout Marissa Weldy as members of Mounsithiraj’s 2010 recruiting class to date.  Dana plans on majoring in nursing, while Alisha will enter the teacher education program upon starting at Goshen in the fall.

“Goshen has a very good nursing program that comes highly recommended,” said Dana of her decision, while also citing Goshen’s class size, study abroad program (SST), and soccer camps as contributing factors.  “Having a chance to scrimmage with the team already, I felt welcome and felt that this was the right fit for me.”

Alisha offered similar comments on her decision, “Goshen offers a joint elementary/ exceptional needs ceritificate in an undergraduate program which I am very interested in,” she said before adding,  “I am very excited for the opportunity to play soccer at Goshen and I can’t wait to get to know my teammates and coaches.”

Baker, Acayo, GunderKline, Peters, Horst

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. – Action at the NAIA Indoor National Track and Field Championships officially got underway on Thursday, but members of the Maple Leaf squad had to wait until Friday to get on the track.

They made the wait count, though, with an outstanding showing inside the “Mini-Dome.”  The Maple Leafs finished the three day event with three new school records and two All Americans.  The women’s team tallied 12 points to finish in 16th place – out of 110 teams – and earned the highest team finish of any school from Indiana.

Perhaps the biggest splash for Goshen was junior Peni Acayo’s performance in the triple jump.  The junior had already broken her own school record in the event three times this winter.  In Saturday’s competition, she simply did what she has all season, jump further.

“Peni did a great job of responding to the competition with five of her six jumps better than her best incoming mark,” explained head coach Rick Clark.  “To accomplish this shows how well she prepared herself and helped top off an outstanding indoor season.”

The new Goshen record sets at 39′11.25″ and was good for national runner-up honors.  The mark was also better than the winning spot at last year’s championships.  For Acayo, it is her first track and field All American honor after earning First Team All American status in volleyball this fall.

Three-time defending national champion Tina Peters was the first Maple Leaf to hit the track on Friday.  While she was not able to successfully defend her title, the senior did earn her 7th NAIA All American honor by finishing fourth.  Her time of 14:44.11 was her fastest of the season and more than 14 seconds quicker than her winning clip in 2009.

“Tina completed an outstanding indoor career when she picked up her fourth-straight All American honor,” said Clark, who also noted that Peters time was better than any of her national championship paces.  “The top five athletes had better times than last year’s winning time, so it is very evident that Tina’s performance over the last four years has caused others to increase their efforts in the race walk and has made it a stronger event.”

Immediately following Peters’ race, a pair of men had strong showings in their first national appearance in the race walk.  Freshman Jake GunderKline took eighth with a time of 14:35.06 and sophomore David Horst finished 10th in 16:04.04.  GunderKline’s mark shaved 0.59 seconds off his own school record, which was set in qualifying at Ohio Northern University.

“Both Jake and David competed well and gained valuable experience at their first national championship,” Clark added.

Also in action on Saturday was senior Rachael Baker.  After coming into the 1,000 meter field seeded 19th, Baker ran to a fourth-place finish in her heat and edged herself into Saturday’s final field of eight.  Her time of 3:00.58 breaks Petrana Petkova’s Goshen College indoor record of 3:01.64.  Baker finished the finals with an eighth-place finish, just two spots from All American honors.

“Rachael continued to show great improvement and confidence throughout the indoor season and should have her set up for a successful outdoor season,” Clark added.

The two All Americans makes it 30 total national awards winners in Clark’s 16-year tenure.  It is also the fifth time in the last six championships – indoor and outdoor – that the Maple Leaf women have finished in the top 20 in the country.

Goshen now has nearly two weeks to get used to the outdoors once again.  They open the outdoor season on March 20 at the Dick Small Invitational on the campus of Defiance College (Ohio).

Jordan Berkey

GOSHEN, Ind. – Goshen College men’s soccer head coach Tavi Mounsithiraj has built a reputation of success and has done so by helping develop and recruit local talent.  While his rosters have been littered with players from Northern Indiana, one place he had not tapped into was Westview High School.

That is, until now.  Mounsithiraj recently announced the signing of Warrior standout midfielder Jordan Berkey to a national letter of intent.

“I am quite pleased about the signing of Jordan as it is my first Westview player in my nine seasons at Goshen,” Mounsithiraj said.  “I have known him for a long time as he has come to our soccer camps.  He comes from a long line of success at Westview and knows what it takes to win and has the will to prepare.”

A three-year starter at Westview, Berkey was named All Northeast Corner Conference in each of those three seasons.  He also helped lead the Warriors to two section championships and one regional championship in his time.

“Berkey is a great all around player with good knowledge of the game, being that his dad was his coach for four years and hanging around the field while growing up has helped him understand the X’s and O’s of the game,” Mounsithiraj added.  “I feel that Jordan can come in and fit in our system of play and be able to fight to be in the top spot of our side.”

Berkey is part of a rebuilding effort for Mounsithiraj who loses 12 seniors to graduation this year.  The losses include all conference midfielders Luke Woodworth and Nick Good, who were the primary distributors for the Leafs in 2009.  Berkey – the all-time leader in assists at Westview – is one of the many Mounsithiraj will call upon to replace the production from the middle.

“Jordan was a crucial part of our success in the last three years,” father and high school coach Dennis Berkey said.  “He is the play maker and has the ability to dictate how the match should go.  He has good vision, reads the game really well, and has the ability to make tough passes.  He is also a great leader on and off the field.”

The future Maple Leaf is on track to graduate near the top of his class at Westview.  The son of Dennis and Connie Berkey – both Goshen College graduates – Jordan will major in Elementary Education upon arrival on the Goshen campus.

“Jordan could have easily chose other institutions and would have been very successful,” Mounsithiraj concluded.  “But I am very happy that he chose to be a part of our tradition.  This is a great day for Goshen soccer.”

Baker, Acayo, GunderKline, Peters, Horst

GOSHEN, Ind. – Five members of the Goshen College track and field team head out this evening for this weekend’s NAIA Indoor Track and Field National Championships.

The Maple Leafs – three women and two men – are part of more than 1,100 student-athletes from 110 schools across the United States and Canada competing in the 45th annual men’s  and 30th annual women’s events.  Action will be held at the Eastern Tennessee State University Memorial Center “Mini-Dome” March 4-6.

Leading the way for Goshen is three-time defending national champion Tina Peters (Yellow Springs, Ohio) in the 3K race walk.  Peters – also the holder of one outdoor championship – will have her toughest test yet, heading into the weekend as the fourth seed.

Her 15:08.35 seeding time is less than 30 seconds off the fastest time in the NAIA this season in what has become a very deep and talented field in the event in the last few years.  The senior will likely have to get back towards her program record 14:31.68 in order to grab her fourth title.

Peters has helped start a race walking “phenomenon” of sorts at Goshen as is evidenced by two men in the 3K race walk this weekend.   Jake GunderKline (Yellow Springs, Ohio) is the only freshman and the highest seeded underclassman in the men’s field as he ranks seventh with a seeding mark of 14:35.65.  Teammate David Horst is seeded 13th in the event with a time of 16:06.42.

Another pair of Lady Maple Leafs will compete in Tennessee as the lone Mid-Central College Conference representatives in their respective events.  Both Peni Acayo (Kampala, Uganda) and Rachael Baker (Fremont, Ind.) have set new program marks this winter and have steadily improved throughout the indoor season.

Acayo has the best seeding of any Goshen athlete as she heads into the triple jump competition with the third best mark in the NAIA.  The junior has broken her own school mark three times this season and comes into action with a mark of 39′5.75.”  She is one of only three athletes to leap more than 12 meters this winter and is looking for her first track All American honors after being named a First Team Volleyball All American in the fall.

It has been a long journey for senior Rachael Baker.  The senior qualified for nationals as part of the distance medley relay team as a freshman, but had not reached the national stage as an individual until qualifying in her final attempt at the Purdue Boilermaker Invitational.  She is seeded 19th in a very strong 1,000 meter field with a time of 3:01.91.

Action officially kicks off on Thursday, but the Maple Leafs do not compete until Friday.  The women’s race walk fires off at 12:00 p.m. with the men’s race immediately following it.  Baker will also be in action on Friday as the semifinals of the 1,000 meters is scheduled for 4:45 p.m.

On Saturday, Acayo headlines the action with the triple jump at 10:00 a.m., while Baker’s potential run in the 1,000 meter final is at 1:45 p.m.

Follow live scoring of the event or follow us on Twitter for updates.

Senior Sean Sears was 6-for-13 with 6 RBIs in the four-game series

LAKELAND and SARASOTA, Fla. – The Goshen College baseball team finished their annual Spring Break trip to Florida with a four-game series against Trinity International University (Ill.) Friday and Saturday.

The series spanned two different Florida cities and saw a four-hour rain delay on Saturday.  While the Maple Leafs were in striking range in each of the four games, they were unable to pull out any wins on way to completing their week-long trip with a 2-5 mark.

Game 1: Trinity 11, Goshen 7 (Stats)

Goshen and Trinity started the series on Friday at Lakeland’s Henley Field, the former Spring Training home of the Detroit Tigers.  In game one, the Maple Leafs struck first as a Zach Reed two-run double gave Goshen a 2-0 lead after one inning.

The Trojans exploded for five runs in the third, though, as they took hold of a 5-2 advantage.  Goshen pulled back within one in the bottom of the frame after Sean Sears was hit by a pitch, Zac Miller doubled and they were brought in by a sacrifice fly and an error.

With a 5-4 lead in the fourth, Trinity took advantage of a Maple Leaf bullpen that is still looking to find its rhythm early in the year.  The Trojans put up five more runs in the fourth on just three hits to build a 10-4 lead.

Down 11-5, Goshen rallied in the seventh.  The Leafs started the inning with back-to-back doubles by freshman Luke Hucker and Sears.  Two batters later, Reed doubled home another run.  Still down four, Goshen was able to load the bases and bring the tying run to the plate before Trinity shut the door for the series opening 11-7 win.

Reed and Sears had two hits each, while Reed tallied four RBIs for Goshen.

Game 2: Trinity 5, Goshen 3 (Stats)

The Trojans were the ones to jump out early in game two as they scored a single run in the first and two more in the second.  After struggling out of the gate, senior starter Matt Fyfe settled in and held Trinity off the board until the fifth.

Goshen pulled a run back in the fourth on a Trinity error, but the Trojans immediately tacked two more on in the fifth to go up 5-1.  After scoring once in the sixth, the Leafs again tried to rally in the seventh.  This time, they placed the tying run at second before eventually falling 5-3.  Hucker and senior Josh Yates each went 2-for-3, while Reed tallied two more RBIs.

Game 3: Trinity 8, Goshen 3 (Stats)

The series switched to Sarasota Christian High School on Saturday as the teams endured a four-hour rain delay before starting game one.  Trinity again scored early, bringing two runs across the plate in the first inning.

Goshen cut the deficit to 2-1 in the third, but the Trojans put up a total of five runs on just three hits in the fifth and six innings.  The only consolation for the Leafs late in the game was a two-run blast by Sears to put the final scoreline at 8-3.  Sears finished the game 3-for-4 and knocked in all three Goshen runs.

Game 4: Trinity 10, Goshen 5 (Stats)

The series finale saw the Trojans again take advantage of Goshen’s mistakes.  Trinity scored four in the third (on three hits), three in the fifth (two hits) and three in the seventh (two hits) as they took advantage of nine walks and five hit batters.

The Leafs again were able to put together some offensive production late in the game.  They scored three times in the fifth on the back of a two-run double by sophomore Andy Swisher.  They then added a single run in the sixth on a Mike Zehr sacrifice and one in the seventh on a Sears’ double, but it was not enough to avoid the sweep.

Junior Sierra Van De Keere struck out 34 batters in 20 1/3 innings pitched this week.

CLERMONT, Fla. – It took a very young Goshen College softball team a few games to get its feet wet, but the Maple Leafs came together quickly, winning four of their final five games for a 5-5 record on their Spring Break trip to Florida.

Largely against veteran teams, Goshen was shut out three times and managed just four runs in its first five games of the trip (1-4 record).  Behind two shutouts and 31 runs over the next five games, though, the Leafs caught fire to even their record at .500 for the trip and season.

Day 1 (2/22)

Davenport 10, Goshen 0 (Stats)

Junior pitcher Sierra Van De Keere was dueling early with the Panthers Brianna Carpenter as neither ace allowed a run through four innings.  Davenport finally busted out with four runs in the fifth, two in the sixth, and four more in the seventh.  Goshen’s offense was not able to solve Carpenter as they tallied just two hits on the day, both off the bat of junior Leah Lehman as the Leafs dropped their season opener.

Day 2 (2/23)

Concordia (MN) 9, Goshen 0 (Stats)

For the second-straight game, junior Leah Lehman recorded the only Goshen hit as the offense struggled to get jump started.  Meanwhile, the Maple Leaf defense committed seven errors allowing Concordia to run away with the game 9-0.  Freshman left-handed pitcher Maria Koshmider gave up just two earned runs and struck out four in her four innings of work.

Goshen 3, Concordia (MN) 1 (Stats)

The Maple Leafs reversed fortunes against Concordia on the back end of a double header as they used their own dominating pitching performance to go on to their first win of the season.  Freshman Ame Blankenship retired 10 straight at one point and fired a complete-game two-hitter.  Blankenship faced just three over the minimum as Concordia got its run on a pair of errors in the sixth.  Freshman left fielder Bethany Kern led the Maple Leaf offense with a 2-for-2 game as Goshen scored twice in the first and once more in the fifth.

Webber International 3, Goshen 1 (Stats)

In the day’s final game, Florida native Webber International got an early 3-0 lead and was able to hold the Maple Leafs off late.  Goshen got its only run on a Kelsey Morris RBI single in the seventh.

Day 3 (2/24)

Webber International 3, Goshen 0 (Stats)

For the second time in a row, the Warriors of Webber International scored early and simply did not give Goshen a chance to come back.  Webber tallied two in the third and one in the fourth, while allowing just two Maple Leaf hits as they shut Goshen out to open play on Wednesday.  Freshman Maria Koshmider and sophomore Jessica Reed combined to give up two earned runs on six hits.

Goshen 5, Webber International 3 (Stats)

The Maple Leaf offense finally showed some life in their final game against Webber International.  After giving up a pair of runs in the top of the first, freshman Stacey Klein and Kat Berg both tripled in the bottom of the inning.  Klein was brought home by an Anne Lehman bunt and Berg scored on an RBI single by Jessica Reed.  The score remained knotted at 2-2 until the bottom of the fifth when Klein, Berg, and Reed all singled to put Goshen up one.  The knock out blow came on a two-run double by freshman Kelsey Morris.  Sierra Van De Keere did the rest in the circle as she earned the win after allowing just two earned runs and striking out 10.

Goshen 7, Concordia (MN) 0 (Stats)

Rolling on all cylinders now, the Maple Leafs finished day three with a 2-1 mark after a dominating 7-0 performance over Concordia.  Goshen tallied runs in the first on a Jessica Reed RBI single and the fourth as Kathryn Schlaback knocked in a run before exploding for five runs in the sixth.  Freshman Ame Blankenship was 3-for-4 with three doubles in the game, while classmate Kat Berg had a two-run triple.  Blankenship also took care of business in the circle, where she finished off her second complete game by scattering just three hits and striking out four.

Day 4 (2/25)

Davenport 7, Goshen 0 (Stats)

A strong Davenport University squad beat Goshen for the second time, while also snapping the Leafs two-game winning streak with a 7-0 victory to start Thursday’s action.  The Panther’s Brianna Carpenter was again too much for Goshen as she allowed only four singles.  Davenport, meanwhile, scored in each of the first four innings of the win.

Goshen 7, Concordia (MN) 0 (Stats)

The Maple Leafs immediately responded with another solid all-around effort to shut out Concordia (MN) for the second time on the trip.  In the circle, junior Sierra Van De Keere was on fire.  She allowed just two hits and struck out a season high 14 to earn her second win in as many days.  At the plate, Goshen pounded out 10 hits, including four of the extra base variety.  Freshman shortstop Kat Berg and sophomore first baseman Jessica Reed each went 3-for-4, while freshman Stacey Klein also had two hits for Goshen.

Goshen 12, Augustana 11 (Stats)

It was a wild finish to the week as the Maple Leafs outlasted Augustana College (Ill.) 12-11 to move to .500 for the first time in 2010.  After giving up a single run in the top of the first, the Leafs fired back with three in the bottom of the inning thanks to an RBI triple by Kat Berg and an RBI double off Jessica Reed’s bat.  Goshen jumped to a 7-1 lead in the second with four runs on RBIs by Ashley Hasbrouck, Anne Lehman, Berg, and Reed.  Goshen, then maintained its lead at 9-3 after the team’s traded runs in the fourth.  It was in the fifth, though, that Augustana made its move.  They took advantage of three Goshen errors in the inning before coming out of it with seven runs to to take a 10-9 lead.  The Leafs tied the score in the bottom of the frame and the teams each tallied single runs in the sixth to head to the seventh tied at 11-11.  Goshen got the walk off win in the seventh as they pounded out three hits in the inning, including Reed’s RBI single to win it.  Reed finished the game 3-for-5 with three RBIs, while Van De Keere came out of the bullpen to throw 2 1/3 innings and earn her third win of the season.

FORT WAYNE, Ind. – In one of the strongest and deepest small college basketball conferences in the country, every match up is tightly contested.  Come postseason tournament time, the intensity and physical level of play only grows.

In a Mid-Central College Conference Quarterfinal contest that featured 62 personal fouls and 84 free throws, the Goshen College men’s basketball team could not find a way past #4 seed and NAIA DII #15 ranked University of Saint Francis Wednesday night.  The host Cougars erased a four-point Maple Leaf halftime lead as they went on to end Goshen’s season with a 95-87 victory.

“I was pleased with how we finished the season, winning our last four games,” head coach Gary Chupp explained, “but was disappointed with tonight because I really thought we had a chance to go deep in the tournament.”

After dropping a pair of contests to Saint Francis this season, the Leafs looked strong early on the road building as much as an eight-point advantage in the first six minutes of play. It was cousins Kyle Davis and Daniel Butler II who helped Goshen to the early lead as they nailed back-to-back 3-pointers.

Goshen led for all but three minutes of the first half despite a Saint Francis run to take a brief lead midway through the period.  Following the Cougars streak, the Leafs went on a 10-0 run capped by a Taylor TenHarmsel 3-point play.

Saint Francis managed to close what was a nine-point gap to just four by halftime as they went into the locker rooms down 40-36 despite out shooting Goshen 45% to 41%.

The Maple Leafs managed to hold onto the lead until the midway point of the second half.  A 9-0 Saint Francis run – featuring seven free throws – gave the Cougars their first lead of the half and put them up 66-61 with 10:13 to play.

“I was disappointed with our defensive effort in the second half, but a big part of that was several of our key defensive players were in foul trouble,” Chupp explained.  “It was difficult for either team to get into any kind of flow because of how tight the game was called. Saint Francis shot 44 free throws in the second half and the frustrating part was that a lot of those came at the end of the shot clock.”

The ability of the Cougars to get to the free throw line proved to be the biggest difference in the end.  Saint Francis his an incredible 35-of-44 from the charity stripe in the second half as they never surrendered the lead.

“We have had some games recently where we were able to overcome a rebounding deficiency, but tonight it caught up with us,” Chupp added as his team was out rebounded by a 48-32 margin including 37-20 in the second half.  “We got pounded on the boards in the second half.  The possessions where we really guarded, we either gave up an offensive rebound or put them at the line.”

Senior Errick McCollum led Goshen with 22 points, while classmate Nate West Jr. made his return to the lineup and scored 10 points.  Freshman Austin Hefley also registered 10 points for the Leafs, who finish the season 18-13 overall.

“E (McCollum) obviously had an outstanding career, and Nate was also very solid this year, but I also feel very good about the nucleus we have returning next year,” Chupp went on to say.  “We certainly took some positive steps forward this year as a program, now it is up to our returning players to improve their games, and it is up to us to continue bringing in top-notch recruits that can take us to the next level.”