The 2017 Grace College women’s soccer team. (Photo provided by the Grace College Sports Information Department)

WINONA LAKE – Grace’s women’s soccer team will have a new look on the field in 2017.

Head coach Michael Voss has brought in seven newcomers to the squad as they seek to reach a seventh consecutive national tournament this fall.

Grace graduated a stellar class last year, including multiple All-American caliber players. But rather than ease a new team into the season, Voss has scheduled aggressively with a number of challenging matchups.

To prepare themselves for the postseason, the Lady Lancers are playing six teams ranked or receiving votes in the NAIA poll as well as a pair of NCAA Division I opponents.

Despite one-third of the roster being comprised of new faces (seven of 21), Voss was encouraged by the industriousness and ingenuity he witnessed during the team’s two preseason weeks.

“They honestly love to play futbol, in any number, shape and form, so it takes creativity to meet that perspective. It’s fun to engage them, see them solve problems on the field and and exceed my expectations,” Voss said. “There’s a deep joy in these women. Combine that with their innate adventurous spirit, and they are recreating our culture.”

Anchoring the returners is NAIA First Team All-American goalkeeper Abby Schue. The senior, joined by sophomore goalie Isabel Applequist, gives Grace a robust presence as the last line of defense. Protecting Schue in defense are senior Carlie Salinas and junior Aubrey Feipel.

Sophomore Liz Van Wormer highlights the offense; she is the top returning goalscorer after tallying four goals and four assists in her freshman campaign. Juniors Shelby Fort and Flavia Faria are back in attack as well.

Returning in the midfield are Corinne Villalobos, Kristen Bellinger and Emma Neahusan, along with multi-positional players Allison Vroon, Clair Snodgrass, McKenna Cruz and Sabina Meyers.

The returners have impressed Voss with their leadership and “extreme ownership” of the program’s direction. They are “firm on the pillars of our program and have accelerated through summer and into camp” in Voss’s words.

The new players have embraced Voss’s “possession-attacking futbol” and have demonstrated “redemptive potential” to embolden the system.

Transfers Jenni Phillips and Hannah Tkacz have the ability to compete for a starting position. Freshmen Sacia Hanson (Colorado), Riley Koch (Nevada), Autumn Raulerson (Florida) and Liz Aalbue (Illinois) join Indiana-native Gracie Long to form a unique, dynamic class with diverse talents.

“Our newcomers are going to be very influential. They are perfect fits for our team,” Voss said. “They have a determined mindset and have demonstrated intelligent decision-making which is completely congruent with possession-attacking futbol. There is an unlocking to our team’s ability going on right now, which is exciting.”

Grace was inconsistent in its goalscoring last year; the Lady Lancers were held to one or fewer goals in two-thirds of their matches in 2016. So while Grace’s defense did its part, the attack will need to improve this season.

But the fresh batch of players has infused a dynamic energy into Grace’s attack in 2017. Voss described the team as having its own “creative flair” who excels as a “team full of solvers.”

Grace has enjoyed a unified front among its players in training camp, in part bolstered by the team’s mission trip to Nicaragua in March. That trip provided a challenging environment that helped the younger players grow and develop into leaders, according to Voss. 

“I’m excited about this group. This is a team that will make its impact. I don’t know what their ceiling is, but I know that they are going to drive for it,” Voss said. “They want to be a team that lives out the mission every day. I’m excited to guide them in that direction and to empower them to achieve their dreams and goals.”

The Lady Lancers officially start the season on Friday with a countable contest at NCAA Div. I Valparaiso at 8:30 p.m.