Grace falls in semifinal to No. 4 Cougars
Despite outshooting their opponent, Grace's women's soccer team suffered a defeat on Wednesday in the semifinals of the Crossroads League Tournament.
Grace outshot No. 4 Spring Arbor 14-10, but it was the Cougars who had the scoring touch, winning the semifinal match 4-0.Grace had more shots than the Cougars in each half, limiting SAU to just two shots in the first half. But it didn't matter as SAU made good on their limited chances.
The Lady Lancers began the game with ample possession, putting the Cougars into a defensive formation.
Grace had the only shot of the first 13 minutes, an attempt from JJ Aalbue that went high.
But despite the strong start, it was SAU who jumped on the scoreboard. The Cougars scored on their first two shot attempts, stunning Grace.
Both goals were against the run of play. The first was a header from a short cross; the second came after a through ball that Grace's players felt should have been offsides.
Seventeen minutes into the match, Grace faced an improbable 2-0 deficit.
SAU's only two shots of the half came during a three-minute span. Apart from those three minutes, the Cougars did not have a shot in the first 45 minutes.
The Lady Lancers had the final three shot attempts of the half. Kailey Burrell tried the first one which was blocked. Lea Fricke and Danae Moriarty also had shots over the final 11 minutes that went wide.
While offensive chances were few in the first half, the second half started with much more action.
Grace fired off four shots over the first eight minutes, including attempts from Madison Tuma, Moriarty, Lucy Schmitt and JJ Aalbue.
But it was the Cougars again who scored on a quick strike. SAU pushed its lead to three in the 48th minute.
A corner kick in the 57th minute resulted in another tally for the Cougars.
The Lady Lancers continued to push but could not find a breakthrough goal. Shots from Marlene Menzel, Aalbue and Janni Bettin did not find the back of the net as Grace had to settle for the road defeat.
The Lady Lancers will await their fate for the 2022 NAIA National Championships. The full field and playing locations will be announced on Monday.
Original source can be found here.
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