No. 8 Grace Falls to Defending National Champion Keiser

No. 8 Grace College suffered its first loss of the season Thursday, falling 3-0 to No. 2 Keiser in a high-profile NAIA women’s soccer matchup.

Keiser broke through in the 25th minute when Delia Letelier scored off an assist from Blanca Bachi, giving the Seahawks a 1-0 advantage. Grace kept the match within a goal for much of the second half, but Keiser finally created separation late.

Emilia Nilsson doubled the advantage in the 82nd minute before Luisa Fontes struck just 87 seconds later, turning a tight 1-0 contest into a 3-0 final.

Keiser finished with an 11-5 advantage in shots and put seven attempts on goal compared with two for Grace. The Lancers did generate pressure from set pieces, earning a 7-3 advantage in corner kicks, but were unable to convert those opportunities.

Grace’s goalkeeper made three saves, while Keiser recorded two saves to preserve the clean sheet.

The loss drops Grace to 4-1-1 after an impressive unbeaten start that included three victories over nationally ranked opponents. For the Lancers, Thursday provided another significant test against a Keiser program that entered ranked second nationally and is the defending NAIA national champion.