SPRING ARBOR, Mich. - Grace's No. 8-ranked women's soccer team tasted its first defeat of the season on Wednesday.

The Lady Lancers (10-1-1, 2-1-1 Crossroads League) lost 1-0 at No. 9 Spring Arbor in the NAIA Game of the Week.

The Cougars (10-2-1, 4-0 CL) kept pressure on Grace's backline by firing shots at the Lady Lancers' goal. Spring Arbor ended the match with a 21-6 advantage in shots.

The first half was scoreless. Each side could only manage four shots apiece before halftime, but neither team could find a breakthrough.

Grace's best look of the half came when Meredith Hollar found space after a long pass from Mallory Rondeau. Her 21-yard shot under pressure was calmly saved by SAU. Kristelle Jadoo also took a shot in the final seconds from outside the box to no avail. 

The Cougars ramped up their pressure in the second half. SAU tried 17 shots over the final 45 minutes, including seven corner kicks.

Spring Arbor broke through in the 53rd minute. SAU's Bethany Balcer made a long run from midfield through Grace's defense. She collected a loose ball in the penalty area and slotted in the only goal of the match.

Grace's offense was limited to two shots after halftime. Rondeau tried a shot on the right side of the box that went wide, and Hollar fired off a hard shot at the top of the 18-yard line.

"This match needed a higher level of cleanness and composure from our team. We were good at times moving the ball effectively and created handfuls of dangerous sections," said Grace head coach Michael Voss. "Our possession was generally predictable, which led to a physicality that was disruptive. On the day we needed to be more effective at being in possession and calm the sideways chaos. This match lived up to the hype. We expected the game to be forced into our defensive third with a wide variety of attempts at goal. SAU is good at what they do."

Grace goalkeeper Abby Schue made 10 saves in a strong performance.

The Lady Lancers will take on another NAIA-ranked opponent on Saturday. Grace travels to No. 20 Mt. Vernon Nazarene for a 2 p.m. kickoff.