No. 8 Grace Bounces Back With 2-1 Victory Over St. Thomas

Grace College responded to its first loss of the season with a strong performance Saturday, defeating St. Thomas University (Fla.), 2-1.

The eighth-ranked Lancers controlled much of the contest, outshooting St. Thomas 18-3 and building an early two-goal advantage before holding off the Bobcats in the second half.

Grace needed just over eight minutes to open the scoring. Joya Lienammer found the net at the 8:26 mark for her first goal, with Abby Hodkin providing the assist to give the Lancers a 1-0 lead.

The advantage doubled less than 10 minutes later. Cassidy Felger converted a penalty kick in the 19th minute, putting Grace ahead 2-0.
That score remained intact through halftime, with Grace controlling the attacking opportunities.

St. Thomas made things interesting shortly after the restart when Maria Mendes scored in the 48th minute, cutting Grace’s advantage to 2-1.
The Lancers’ defense made the one-goal lead stand the rest of the way. St. Thomas managed only three total shots and two shots on goal for the match, while Grace’s goalkeeper was required to make just one save.

Grace continued to generate chances at the other end, finishing with nine shots on goal. The Lancers also dominated set-piece opportunities with a 10-1 advantage in corner kicks. St. Thomas goalkeeper made seven saves to prevent Grace from extending its lead.

The victory provides an immediate response for Grace after the Lancers suffered their first defeat of the season Thursday against No. 2 Keiser.