NAPPANEE, Ind. - Grace's men's soccer team came up just short in its upset bid in the 2025 Crossroads League Tournament championship match on Wednesday.
The Lancers were on the verge of taking top-seeded Bethel to penalty kicks. But a goal in the final 86 seconds of the second overtime gave the Pilots a narrow 1-0 win to claim the CL crown.
Grace's postseason is not over, however. The Lancers will discover their NAIA tournament fate on Friday evening with Grace in a strong position to earn an at-large bid to the national tournament.
Wednesday's match was moved to a turf field at Wellfield Park (Nappanee, Ind.) to accommodate heavy snowfalls at Bethel.
The first half was a cautious one with each team trying to find gaps to score.
Grace earned a clear advantage in chances, outshooting Bethel 5-1 before halftime.
In the seventh minute, Julian Saldivar tried a shot that rolled left of the goal. Joao Laranjo also redirected a cross wide of the goal 10 minutes later.
The first shot on goal also came from Grace in the 21st minute; Luis Munoz's header bounced into the arms of the goalkeeper.
The Pilots' only attempt of the half occurred in the 29th minute with a shot that missed high.
Neither team could find a go-ahead moment as the match entered halftime in a scoreless draw. Grace had five shots and a corner kick in the opening half, while Bethel had one shot with no corners.
Bethel picked up its attack to begin the second half, taking four shots over the first 13 minutes of the second half.
The match opened up midway into the half, seeing both teams attack swiftly and directly.
The Lancers struggled to generate shots, however, and were limited to one attempt after halftime.
With seven minutes left in regulation, Grace attacked quickly through the middle of Bethel's defense. A pass into Diego Yanes resulted in a shot, but Yanes's hard shot missed wide.
Bethel also did not try a shot for the final 16 minutes of regulation, and the teams ended regulation even at 0-0.
The first overtime saw the teams combined for three shots and two corner kicks, but neither squad converted.
In the second overtime, the Lancers defended fiercely. The Pilots tried two early shots in the period and then were awarded a deep free kick in the closing minutes.
Ben Kenn made a diving save to deny the free kick shot, but the ball went out of bounds for a corner kick.
The Pilots converted on the corner kick, finishing off a loose ball in the box at the 108:34 mark, just 86 seconds away from a penalty kick shootout.
Bethel finished the match with a 12-7 advantage in shots and 6-2 in corners.
