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Grace Christian Back On Top In Undefeated Season

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By JARRETT GUTHRIE, Tribune correspondent

Published: November 21, 2007

VALRICO - Grace Christian soccer has a tradition of excellence in the Florida Christian Conference, with championship runs from 1993-2000 and two more in 2004 and '05. Last season, however, Grace found itself in unfamiliar territory at the end of the season - not in the FCC championship game.

Grace lost to Lakeland's Calvary Baptist 1-0 in the 2006 semifinals.

This season, Grace Christian used last year's defeat as a challenge to return to the top in the FCC and did so with an 18-0-1 undefeated season and a 3-0 win in the championship game against Land O' Lakes Christian School.

From 1987-2005, Grace Christian made it to the finals of the FCC championship. Since Barry McKeen took over as head coach in 1993, the team has won 10 FCC titles.

After last season's semifinal loss, McKeen said he challenged this year's team.

"We hadn't been beaten by more than a goal in a number of years, and we opened up last season and got beat 6-0," McKeen said. "So we had a sit-down after that game. With the talent we have here, I knew we were playing for a lot more than just one season."
McKeen said he told his team to stay focused on the future.

"I told them we may take our lumps this year," the coach said. "But if you buy into this system, next year we will be the team to beat."

The team bought in. Five seniors from the 2006 season and most of its starters returned, and the team put last season behind it. Grace went undefeated and captured the FCC championship.

"I don't know that we planned on going undefeated this season," McKeen said. "But this year we put together the most balanced team I've ever had here."
Grace Christian defeated Land O' Lakes in the teams' first match-up of the regular season 3-0 but had to rebound late in the second regular season match to play to a 3-3 tie.

In the championship game, Grace Christian scored 10 minutes into the first period with a goal by Jacob Illikal. After Land O' Lakes kicked the ball out of bounds about 18 yards out from its goal, Isaiah Winter threw in a ball over the defenders' heads to Illikal, who put the ball in the back of the net. Grace Christian added two more goals to defeat Land O' Lakes 3-0 - a goal to the right post off the goal keeper's hands by Amos Landers and a penalty kick by Johnathan Moore.

For the season, Alex Lanfranconi led Grace Christian offensively with 24 goals and 18 assists. Illikal scored 21 goals, and Jared Hall scored 20. Sweeper John Wesley Honaker was the FCC conference and championship game's most valuable player. Goal keeper Zack Martin finished the season with a 0.4 per-game goals average.

Jarrett Guthrie can be reached at jarrettguthrie@yahoo.com.

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