Grace College Athletics

WINONA LAKE, Ind. - Grace's women's soccer team flexed its offensive muscles with a rout of Mt. Vernon Nazarene on Saturday.

The No. 2 Lancers erupted with eight first-half goals, winning 8-0 at 1st Source Bank Field.

Abby Hodkin earned scoring honors, collecting a hat trick during a 16-minute span. Nora Pollock also contributed to three goals, finishing with a goal and two assists.

The Lancers (12-1-3, 6-0-2 Crossroads League) are now just one win away from clinching the regular season title for the Crossroads League. Grace leads the standings by one point.

Grace ends the regular season on the road on Wednesday at No. 14 Taylor. A win against Taylor would secure the conference championship; Grace is seeking its first league title since 2018.

During Saturday's first half, Grace scored early, late and everywhere in between.

The Lancers needed only 28 seconds to find their first goal. Grace immediately marched deep into MVNU's end of the field. Heidi Kever passed to Rosalie Gefrorer, and the senior sent a charge into a 20-yard drive that flew into the back of the net to stun the Cougars.

Less than two minutes later, Grace doubled its lead. Ellie Grieser made a dazzling 70-yard run, dribbling through five Cougars. Her advance ended with a hard shot that was saved, and the rebound fell to Sydney Millen, who passed her shot into the untended net.

Only 102 seconds later, Grace's lead ballooned to three. Pollock sped past her defender on the left edge of the field. She crossed toward the top of the box. Gefrorer repeated her previous effort, hitting the cross on her first touch from 20 yards away and piercing the net for her second goal on her second shot.

The Cougars (5-8-2, 2-6 CL) seemed shellshocked after yielding three goals in the first four minutes.

In the 21st minute, Grace struck again. Several quick passes allowed Joya Lienammer to receive the ball in the heart of the box. Lienammer took advantage, calmly slotting her shot inside the far post.

Three minutes later, Grace found its fifth goal. Pollock again created the opportunity, placing a pass into the box. Abby Hodkin sent the ball past the goalkeeper for a 5-0 lead.

With 12 minutes remaining, the Lancers poured in a pair of rapid goals.

Rylee Burns blitzed by a defender on the right edge of the box. Her cross found Pollock in front of the goal, and Pollock calmly redirected Burns's cross into the net.

The avalanche continued as Grace scored again remarkably just 19 seconds later. Hannah Medlin won possession for Grace immediately after the kickoff.

Audrey Abel and Burns connected on two quick passes, and Burns's pass met Hodkin in stride as the ball entered the penalty box. Hodkin shot perfectly, slamming her attempt inside the right goalpost.

The eighth and final goal of the half occurred with five minutes left before halftime. Audrey Abel muscled her way through a trio of Cougars. Her ball snuck under the goalkeeper, and Hodkin tapped the ball past the goal line to complete her first-half hat trick. 

Grace scored eight goals on 18 first-half shots. The Lancers outshot MVNU 18-3 and had four of the five corner kicks in the half. Grace put the ball in the back of the net a ninth time during the first half as well; but the goal was reversed due to an offsides call after a video-assisted review of the play.

The second half was a clinic in possession for Grace. The Lancers maintained control of the play and were able to utilize the depth of their bench at the same time.

Overall, 19 players for Grace saw at least 25 minutes of action.

Grace shot seven more times in the second half. They finished with 25 total shots and 15 shots on goal.

Grieser, Abel, Pollock and Burns each tallied two assists, and Gefrorer scored twice.

Elaina Clapp and Ivy Cline shared the goalkeeping duties to record the shutout. It marks Grace's fifth shutout in a row; the scoreless streak has now reached 460 minutes for Grace's defense.