No. 3 Indiana Tech Rallies Past No. 23 Grace, 2-1

Indiana Tech erased a second-half deficit with two goals over an eight-minute stretch Wednesday night, rallying past Grace College 2-1 in a matchup of nationally ranked NAIA programs.

The Warriors improved to 8-1-1 with the victory, extending their winning streak after entering the night ranked No. 3 nationally. Grace fell to 2-4-3. Indiana Tech had also beaten Marian 2-0 in its previous outing.

After a scoreless opening 45 minutes, Grace struck first. Mateus Pereira converted a penalty kick at 56:44, putting the Lancers ahead 1-0.
Indiana Tech answered in the 69th minute. Fernando Cuevas scored unassisted at 68:21, pulling the Warriors level at 1-1.

The comeback was completed just over eight minutes later. Robin Vezinhet delivered the winner at 76:44, finishing a chance set up by Zak El Hannach to give Tech its first lead of the night. Vezinhet entered Wednesday in excellent form after scoring the game-winning goals in both of Indiana Tech’s victories the previous week.

Grace actually generated more shots, finishing with a 13-5 advantage, including nine attempts in the second half. But Indiana Tech goalkeeper Alan Fleischer limited the damage, making two saves while allowing only Pereira’s penalty.

Grace goalkeeper Louie Aldus made one save.
Indiana Tech held a 5-3 advantage in corner kicks. The Warriors committed 11 fouls to Grace’s 10 in a physical second half that featured several cards. Grace was reduced to 10 men when a red card was issued in the 90th minute.

For Vezinhet, the decisive strike continued a remarkable stretch. He also supplied the late winner against Huntington and scored the opening goal in Tech’s 2-0 victory over Marian.