WINONA LAKE, Ind. - Grace's men's soccer team did everything right on Saturday except one thing — finding the back of the net.
The Lancers dominated the shot count to the tune of 22 to 6. But the Cougars squeezed in a goal during the second minute of the match and held on despite an onslaught of shot attempts by Grace, shutting out the Lancers.
The Cougars stunned the Lancers in the opening minutes. During one of the first advances of the match, SAU scored off a set piece, heading in a goal.
The rest of the half was physical and filled with action, but neither team could find the back of the net again.
Grace held the majority of possession in the half, growing in percentage as the half progressed. The Cougars seemed content to hold a defensive position and do their best to limit Grace's chances.
Grace outshot SAU 7-3 in the first half, and the Lancers also had a 4-1 advantage in corner kicks.
The best chances for Grace came in the final 20 minutes of the half. Connor Pugh broke free with a long run, but he was fouled to draw a yellow card and prevent a 1-on-1 with the goalkeeper.
Another dangerous pass struck an SAU defender in an unnatural position, but Grace's penalty appeals were denied.
Grace entered halftime behind 1-0, but the Lancers began the second half with optimism in front of a full crowd at 1st Source Bank Field.
The Lancers finally found the back of the net in the first two minutes of the second half when Pugh poked a shot past the goalkeeper. But Pugh was judged to be offside to eliminate the tally.
Minutes later, Marco Poliani and Ze Maria Goncalves both tried shots from inside the box that went high of the net.
Felipe Gruber entered as a substitute and injected an offensive edge. His dribbling and passing created a few chances immediately, including a header from Martim Cardoso that whizzed wide of the post.
The more the match wore on, the more defensive the Cougars' shell became. Grace forced SAU into protecting its penalty box with barrage after barrage of chances.
The Cougars defended physically, ultimately drawing five yellow cards and a red card.
SAU lost a defender with a red card in the final 10 minutes, but little changed as Grace was already robust in its attack at that juncture of the match.
Grace continued to generate chances, including a long drive from Jules Peycelon that was saved. Ze Maria Goncalves had a pair of late chances that were both stopped, and Pugh also had a shot saved in the final 10 minutes.
But after all of Grace's chances, the Cougars' net remained unharmed. Time ran out on Grace as the Lancers fell 1-0.
In addition to a 22-6 advantage in shot attempts, Grace also was ahead 8-3 in corner kicks. The Cougars had just one shot on goal, which was the game winner.
Pugh and Goncalves combined to outshoot SAU by themselves, combining for eight shots and four shots on goal.
Cardoso and Marco Poliani each tried three shots, and Peycelon and Jordan Jayapuram took two shots apiece. `
The Lancers will not be home again until Oct. 16 when they host Bethel. Next week Grace will play at Huntington on Saturday.
