Three Tornados scored their first career goals and the defense nearly pitched a shutout, as Tippecanoe defeated the Southside Thunder 4-1 on Oct. 4 at the Indiana State Veterans Home field. The soccer win was Tippecanoe’s second of the season.

Regan Bunning, Trevor Scott and Josh Creech were first-time goal scorers for the Tornados, while Luke Mishler also put a ball in the net.

Tippecanoe wasted little time getting on the scoreboard. Daniel LaPack collected a corner kick and passed to Bunning, who slotted a shot home in the match’s third minute. The Tornados took the 1-0 lead into halftime, holding the Thunder to no shots on goal.

In the 45^th minute Mishler hit a low drive into the corner of the net after a shot rebounded off the Southside goalkeeper.

Scott’s goal came in the 72^nd minute. A defensive mistake by the Thunder goalkeeper and a defender allowed Scott to side-step both and poke the ball in for the score.

The Thunder got a goal back in the 78^th minute. A Southside player dribbled the ball through the Tippecanoe defense and struck a looping drive that found the upper left corner of the goal, just out of the reach of goalkeeper Jordan Mull.

Tippecanoe had one last golden moment. On the ensuing kickoff, Creech took the ball down the left side and let loose a spinning drive from the corner of the penalty area. The ball spun over the Thunder goalkeeper’s head and into the net.

Tippecanoe’s second string saw extensive playing time in the match and played a major factor in the win.

Too bad grit and determination don’t count on the scoreboard. If they did, the Tippecanoe Tornados volleyball team might be State Line Christian Conference champions.

Although the Tornados played with passion and intensity, they were not quite good enough to come away with the title. Tippecanoe had to settle for a fourth-place finish in the conference tournament, which was played Oct. 4 at Lighthouse Christian Academy in Bloomington.

The fourth seeded Tornados won their opening round match over fellow No. 4 seed John Paul II Catholic High. They then gave the No. 1 seed and eventual champion Lighthouse Christian all they could handle, and finally lost a hard-fought third place match to No. 2 seed Zion’s Hill Baptist School.

“I was proud of our effort,” said Tornados coach Mary Anderson. “The girls certainly played hard, and that’s all you can ask for.”

In the best-of-three games third place match, the Tornados dropped the first game to Zion’s Hill 25-13 and were three points from losing game two and the match. Caitie served an ace and two other points to give Tippecanoe a 23-22 lead that the Tornados would not surrender. Tippecanoe could not convert that momentum into a game three victory, however, falling behind 11-4 and eventually losing 15-5.

In the earlier semi-final match, the Tornados played Lighthouse Christian even for much of the first two games of their best-of-five contest. Tippecanoe trailed 16-13 in game one before the Lions ripped off nine straight points to win the game. The Tornados were down 20-15 in game two but clawed back to pull to within 24-23 on an Alissa Leer service ace. Leer’s next serve sailed long, giving Lighthouse the deciding point. Tippecanoe was close early in game three, then ran out of steam to the bigger, stronger Lions, falling 25-12.

The road to victory was much tougher in game two. The Crusaders grabbed a 13-7 lead before effective serves again saved the day for the Tornados. When Amelia Scott scorched an ace with the score 17-17, she gave the Tornados their first lead. Tippecanoe finished on a 7-3 run to take the game and the match.

For the tournament, Leer led the Tornados with 15 kills, nine assists, seven aces and two blocks, while Caitie Scott had a team-high 14 digs. Other key Tippecanoe contributors included Macy Anderson (10 kills, seven assists), Megan Anderson (six kills, six digs, six aces), Amelia Scott (11 digs) and Katie Koch (seven digs).

During the post-tournament awards ceremony, Leer was honored as the conference’s runner-up in digs, with 50. Macy Anderson’s 53 kills was eight short of the runner-up position. All-Conference selections will be announced in the coming weeks.

With their 1-2 record in the conference tournament, the Tornados are now 7-14 on the season.

The Tornados play in the state homeschool volleyball tournament on Oct. 10 at Spiece Fieldhouse in Fort Wayne. The tournament begins at 4 p.m. Check this Web site regularly for additional information.

Zion’s Hill Baptist def. Tornados
25-13, 23-25, 15-6
Tornados statistics: Kills -- Macy Anderson 6, Leer 3, Amelia Scott 2, Megan Anderson 1, Katie Koch 1. Assists -- Leer 6, Ma. Anderson 1. Digs -- Leer 2, A. Scott 2, Ma. Anderson 1, Caitie Scott 1. Blocks -- Leer 1. Aces -- Koch 3, Me. Anderson 2, C. Scott 2.
Tornados record: 7-14

Tornados def. John Paul II Catholic
25-17, 25-20
Tornados statistics: Kills -- Alissa Leer 6, Macy Anderson 2, Megan Anderson 2, Katie Koch 1, Amelia Scott 1. Assists -- Ma. Anderson 2, Koch 1, Leer 1. Digs -- Caitie Scott 6, A. Scott 3, Leer 2, Ma. Anderson 1, Me. Anderson 1, Koch 1.  Blocks -- Koch 1. Aces -- Leer 6, Me. Anderson 4, A. Scott 2, C. Scott 2, Koch 1.
Tornados record: 7-12