OCT. 21, 2026, PLYMOUTH, Ind. – The Grand Rapids Community College soccer teams swept their matches Wednesday at Marian University Plymouth, with the women earning a 5-0 victory to keep their postseason hopes alive and the men winning 2-0 to move into first place in the conference standings.
Women Shut Out Marian, Keep Regional Hopes Alive
The Raider women dominated Wednesday's match, outshooting Marian 35-11 and earning eight corner kicks while holding the Chargers without a corner kick. The 5-0 victory improved GRCC to 6-7-2 overall and 6-6 in conference play.
Freshman Avery Dekker and sophomore Nadia Perez each scored twice, while Audra Fessenden added the first goal of her collegiate career.
Dekker opened the scoring in the 20th minute, finishing a corner kick delivered by Hannah Pleiman. Fessenden doubled the lead in the 35th minute, scoring from about five yards out on an assist from Izabela Terpstra.
Dekker struck again in the 43rd minute, converting another corner kick from Pleiman to give the Raiders a 3-0 advantage at halftime.
Perez extended the lead in the 78th minute, scoring from three yards out. She added her second goal of the match in the 89th minute, finishing a rebound off a shot from Terpstra, who was credited with the assist.
Dekker now has eight goals this season, while Perez leads the Raiders with 10.
The victory keeps GRCC in contention for a regional tournament berth. The Raiders have one regular-season match remaining, a must-win contest at Kellogg Community College on Oct. 23, as they look to secure a spot in the Region XII tournament.
Men Take Over First Place With 2-0 Victory
The Raider men closed their regular season with a 2-0 shutout of Marian, improving to 8-4-3 overall and 6-3-1 in conference play. The victory moved GRCC into first place in the conference standings with 19 points, one ahead of Marian, which fell to 9-3 overall and 6-3 in conference play with 18 points.
GRCC controlled much of the match offensively, outshooting the Chargers 29-13, including a 16-7 advantage in shots on goal.
Sophomore Lucas Bouma opened the scoring in the 16th minute, finishing from three yards out on an assist from Raymond Guarado. The goal was Bouma's seventh of the season and marked his third consecutive match with a goal.
The Raiders added an insurance goal in the 76th minute when Ethan Schwartzfisher converted a penalty kick for his eighth goal of the season.
Goalkeeper Ramon Lujano-Salto recorded six saves over 90 minutes to preserve the shutout.
GRCC has already qualified for the Region XII tournament, scheduled for Oct. 31 in Marysville, Michigan. The Raiders' final regional seed will be determined after the conference standings are finalized on Oct. 24.
Marian remains in contention for the conference championship and will host Lake Michigan College on Oct. 24 in its final regular-season match. A Marian victory would give the Chargers the conference title, while a tie would result in a shared championship between Marian and GRCC. A Marian loss would leave the Raiders as conference champions outright.
Both Raider teams now turn their attention to the postseason, with the women fighting for a regional berth and the men preparing for the Region XII tournament.
