By Andrew Snyder
Athletic Marketing Coordinator

GOSHEN, Ind. — A Grace College corner kick deflected off a Maple Leaf head and into the Goshen net for the game's only goal as the Lancers held on for a 1-0 victory over Goshen College in men's soccer action Saturday night at the John Ingold Athletic Complex.

"Tonight is the first time all season I've felt like we didn't get the result we deserved based upon our play," remarked Goshen head coach Arron Patrick.

The visitors used one of their four first-half corner kicks to take the early lead, but the play wasn't pretty. Served towards the near post, the ball bounced off a Goshen defender and across the goal line just before the Maple Leafs (11-5-2, 4-3-2) could clear possession.

The ball never reached either the back or side netting, but Grace (9-4-4; 6-2-1) had a 1-0 lead just nine minutes in.

"The goal was very unfortunate, and if anything I'd put it down to a lack of concentration," Patrick offered. "Any time you score an own goal, it's hard to take, but that's the game sometimes."

The Maple Leafs saw their best opportunity 13 minutes before halftime as as a ball served to the six-yard box was headed on frame by freshman Uriel Macias. Unfortunately for Goshen, Lancer goalkeeper Kurt Hamlin made a diving stop at the far post for one of his eight saves on the night. By halftime, each team had 10 shots but Grace still held the slight advantage on the scoreboard.

"We started the game on the front foot, and I was happy with how we controlled the ball," commented Patrick. "The pattern of the game became pretty apparent early on, with us controlling most of the tempo, and Grace looking to counterattack. They kept us on our toes all night in transition, but for the most part we did a decent job handling a dangerous side."

Goshen continued to push for an equalizer, surging forward for six more shots in the second half alongside five corner kicks. Freshman Stuart Aeschliman saw the best Maple Leaf chance when ripping a shot from atop the 18-yard box, but Hamlin again made the save to sustain the Lancer lead. While forming many chances into the offensive third, Goshen failed to finish any goals to even the score and the regular season concluded with the 1-0 loss.

"Tonight I asked the guys to focus on the quality of their play, rather than the result, and they did a good job sticking to our philosophy even though sadly it didn't end up with a win," continued Patrick. "I wanted to play well going into the tournament and we did that tonight, we have to credit Grace for defending well and always threatening on the counter. They are a side I really respect and I always enjoy our games."

Aeschliman and TJ White paced the Maple Leafs with two shots on goal apiece, while Nate Nussbaum's four overall shots topped the Goshen box score. Johan Escalante was credited with four saves and Oliver Wisseman made one stop in goal for the Maple Leafs.

Goshen finished with advantages in shots, shots on goal and corner kicks while more than doubling the Lancers' free-kick output; nevertheless, Grace came out ahead in the stat that mattered.

Hamlin went the distance to earn the shutout while Brayton Taylor and Damon Binkley led Grace with two attempts each hitting the target.

The loss, combined with a Bethel draw at Mount Vernon Nazarene and a Huntington win over Taylor, knocked Goshen out of the top four and into a tie for fifth in the 10-team Crossroads League. The Maple Leafs lose the tiebreaker to Bethel, however, and will visit Indiana Wesleyan in the Crossroads League tournament's quarterfinal round on Wednesday

"We look forward to going to IWU on Wednesday, and I look forward to us actually showing up this time," concluded Patrick. "Win or lose, we are going to play our game, and not to the occasion."

While Goshen qualifies for the conference tournament for the 21st time in 22 chances, the Maple Leafs will also hit the road for the fifth straight year and their seventh consecutive appearance. Wednesday will be Goshen's third playoff visit to the Wildcat Soccer Field in Patrick's four-year tenure, matching the number of tournament games the team has played at other fields in that span.

Kickoff time has yet to be officially announced as Indiana Wesleyan plays host to both the men's and women's tournaments on Wednesday: stay tuned to GoLeafs.net for the latest developments as the playoffs unfold.