Hamlin Goal Nets Grace A Win
WINONA LAKE – Kyle Hamlin provided the game’s only goal on Thursday as the Grace College men’s soccer team bested John Brown 1-0 at Miller Field.
Austin Altimus picked out a nifty pass in traffic to Hamlin on the left side of the box, and the junior striker took care of the rest, slotting the ball into the back of the net in the 56th minute.
The Lancers (2-1) had chances to add more goals, but only Hamlin’s strike beat the Golden Eagles’ defense. Altimus and Hamlin both had one-on-one opportunities with John Brown’s goalkeeper, but each time the Golden Eagles (0-1) kept Grace off the scoreboard.
Robbie Barnhill earned the win in goal for Grace. Ben Cahill, Justin Festa, Jon Sands and Danilo Carnelos anchored the backline, which registered its second shutout in three contests.
“This was a good early-season win for us tonight. We didn’t respond to the physicality of the match until the second half, and I thought the guys played stronger as the game went on,” said Grace head coach Matt Hotchkin. “Our outside backs [Carnelos and Sands] had excellent games and played with a lot of poise. It was also a big confidence builder for Hamlin to get that goal after some beautiful build-up.”
John Brown outshot Grace by one in each half and had a 14-12 advantage overall. The Lancers had five more corner kicks than the Golden Eagles (8-3). A total of 28 fouls were called with two yellow cards in the first half.
The Lancers return to Miller Field on Saturday to take on Moody Bible Institute at 1 p.m.