WINONA LAKE, Ind. - Grace's women's soccer team took care of business to kick off the Crossroads League Tournament on Tuesday.
The top-seeded Lancers defeated Mt. Vernon Nazarene 4-0 in the quarterfinals of the CL Tournament.
As a result, Grace will host No. 6 Marian in the semifinals on Friday night (7 p.m.) at 1st Source Bank Field. The winner will advance to the tournament championship next Tuesday.
Nora Pollock had three assists in the win. Rosalie Gefrorer and Rylee Burns both scored twice.
The Lancers immediately assumed control of the match after kickoff. Grace had a stranglehold on possession, keeping the Cougars defending throughout the first 45 minutes.
Grace immediately earned dangerous shots from Pollock as the speedy winger gave the Cougars fits all evening long.
The opening strike came in the 10th minute. Gefrorer connected on a deep strike from nearly 30 yards away, sending her shot piercing into the top-right corner of the net.Â
Pollock earned credit for the assist, but it was a complete team effort in the build up. Grace strung together 15 straight passes during the 70-second build up to Gefrorer's blast.
Grace was unable to add to its lead in the half despite a plethora of chances. Cassidy Felger and Pollock were the main threats. Felger had a few low shots that were saved cleanly by the goalkeeper.
The Lancers went into halftime with a 1-0 lead. Grace had a 12-1 advantage in shot attempts and 5-1 in corner kicks. Pollock and Felger combined for eight shots and six shots on goal.
Overall, Grace owned 82 percent of possession in the first half. But MVNU's goalkeeper made eight first-half saves to keep the score close.
The second half followed suit as the Lancers continued to keep a handle on the run of play.
Grace generated chance after chance, firing off eight shots from the 48th minute to the 72nd minute. The Cougars' only stats during that time included a foul and a yellow card.
The Lancers broke through again off the foot of Gefrorer. Burns and Pollock combined on the lead up, sprinting down the right side of the field. The ball swung around to Gefrorer, who placed a low shot beyond the reach of the keeper for her second goal.
Gefrorer's goal seemed to open the floodgates as the Lancers scored twice more over the next 3:42.
In the 78th minute, Pollock sped away from a pair of Cougar defenders. She crossed in front of the face of goal, and Burns redirected the pass through MVNU's goalkeeper to make the score 3-0.
Just 62 seconds later, Burns scored again. Burns collected a loose ball in the penalty box. She shielded a defender and curled a left-footed effort into the net for Grace's fourth and final goal.
The Lancers finished the game with 28 shots with 15 of those on goal, adding nine corner kicks. MVNU had 3 shots, 2 shots on goal and 1 corner.
Grace's defense locked in its 11th shutout of the season thanks to the defending of Hollie Robinson, Jaylin Young, Heidi Kever, Hannah Medlin and Madison Webster. Elaina Clapp recorded the win as goalkeeper by making two saves.
Â
