WINONA LAKE, Ind. – Fireworks painted the night sky above Miller Field on Saturday night after the Lady Lancers' game with Taylor. During the game, Grace provided the fireworks with a 4-0 rout of Taylor.
The No. 21-ranked Lady Lancers (12-3-2, 8-1 Crossroads League) wrapped up the regular season with one of their most complete games of the season. Grace will be the No. 2 seed in next week's CL Tournament, facing Huntington on Nov. 1 at 7 p.m. With a win, Grace will host the CL Semifinals on Nov. 8 at Miller Field.
"The women put in a complete match tonight. We made significat improvement in executing our game plan," said Grace head coach Michael Voss. "Every player was dialed in and effective. I'm pleased that at this time of the season, we are still growing in unity and getting better each week."
Meredith Hollar and Mallory Rondeau each notched a goal and an assist in the win.
Rondeau was the dominant offensive force in the opening half. She produced several scoring chances with her lively runs. Her play paid off in the 27th minute. Meghan Wiles split the defense with a pass on the left side of the field, and Rondeau's shot beat the goalkeeper from a tight angle.
Kelsey Christner nearly added Grace's second goal with a long-range effort that just missed the upper-90.
In the second half, the Lady Lancers' offense exploded. Grace peppered Taylor's net with 15 shot attempts over the final 45 minutes. Hollar assisted Grace's second goal, squaring a pass across the face of the goal to Mimi Lozano for the point-blank finish in the 64th minute.
Hollar's goal was one of the shots of the season. After taking in a pass from Holly Bennett, Hollar maneuvered her way into a 20-yard shot on the right side of the field. Her rocket glanced off the bottom of the crossbar and into the back of the net at the 65:15 mark to put Grace ahead, 3-0.
Grace finished off the scoring in the 83rd minute. A free kick from Rondeau found Carianne Sobey near the front of the net, and Sobey finished off the goal.
Defensively, Grace limited the Trojans (7-6-4, 4-4-1 CL) to five shots and two shots on goal.
The Lady Lancers wrapped up the regular season with five consecutive shutouts, outscoring their opponents 15-0 in the past five matches.
