Grace’s Clair Snodgrass finds room to take a shot against Hannibal-LaGrange in a 9-0 win Saturday night. (Photos by Mike Deak)

WINONA LAKE – For the second time in as many matches, Grace’s womens soccer team peppered the opposing net with a myriad of shots. This time around, the ball found the back of the net.

Grace showered Hannibal-LaGrange’s goal with a total of 49 shots, burying nine of them in a 9-0 blowout win at First Source Bank Field.

Emma Neahusen got Grace on the board with its first goal.

It took Grace 15 minutes to get on the board, getting the snowball to begin building. Emma Neahusen, playing with a heavy heart with the recent passing of her mother, got the Lady Lancers on top with a goal. Grace, donned in purple headbands in support of Neahusen’s mother, Rhonda, who passed due to pancreatic cancer, relished the opportunity to shine.

Flavia Faria got the first of her two goals on the night less than four minutes later, part of a total shift in control by Grace in the midfield, which led to beautiful chances on a porous Hannibal defense. Liz Van Wormer took a feed from Kristen Bellinger in the attacking third and made the proper adjustment to space and whistled a shot into net. Autumn Raulerson added one for good measure moments later, stamping a one-sided affair after 45 minutes played.

“After watching them play early on, I was pretty optimistic that we could do this,” said Grace College head coach Michael Voss. “I know that we can do it, this is more of their potential. Score on their first shot, and getting more quality of shot rather than just sailing shots at goal. Taking low percentage shots is not something that we’re interested in. This shows they are capable of closing the deal on quality chances.”

Shelby Fort passes the ball forward.

Faria was the only multiple goal scorer for the Lady Lancers, which took 49 shots in the game, 25 of which were sent directly at a shellshocked Hannibal keeper Madi Allen, who had to do quite a bit of work on her 16 saves to keep the score under double digits. In three contests this season, Grace has amassed 102 shots, 50 of those on target.

Faria, Corinne Villabolos, Clair Snograss, Jenni Phillips and Shelby Fort all scored second-half goals for Grace, which managed to take 49 shots in its game last weekend against Cincinnati Christian but needed a Hannah Tkacz equalizer in the 76th minute to muster a 1-1 draw.

With the offense on the attacking side of the field for most of the contest, the defense in front of keeper Abby Schue was relatively quiet. The Trojans didn’t manage a shot in the contest and Schue had just two touches on the ball all night, securing possibly the easiest clean slate of her college career.

The win against Hannibal gives Grace its first win of the season to pull even at 1-1-1. The Lady Lancers will head to California next for a double dip in Santa Clarita against Kansas Wesleyan and Emery-Riddle on Sept. 2 and Sept. 4.

“Now we are five matches in and we are constantly changing the pieces so there is a flow and a rhythm to what we are trying to accomplish,” Voss said, adding in exhibitions against Ancilla and Fort Wayne. “We are looking for the pieces to fit comfortably. We had people like Van Wormer exchanging with Snodgrass. Phillips rolling through. Those aren’t people we were interchanging last year, Phillips is a transfer. We are trying to find fluidity with people. Liz is finding herself in the offense more, Clair is changing positions and making more runs.

“I like this. We are on the right freeway at this point. We just need to hit the accelerator.”

Liz Van Wormer challenges Hannibal’s Alex Keck for the ball Saturday night.