FORT WAYNE – The Grace College men’s soccer team scored three goals in the first half of action as the Lancers topped St. Francis 3-0 on Tuesday in Crossroads League play.

With the win, the Lancers (9-4-2; 4-2-2 CL) secured a top-four finish in the league. As a result, Grace will host a first-round game for the CL Tournament starting next week.

“This was a good result for us tonight. I liked our mentality and overall focus,” said Grace head coach Matt Hotchkin. “We are still learning how to be a team and how to adapt as a game changes. We have taken some big steps these last couple games, and I’m proud of the guys’ work.”

Grace dominated play during the first 45 minutes of play. The Lancers outshot the Cougars (7-10; 1-7 CL) 13-6 in the first half and recorded all five corner kicks in the half.

Shane Barthuly started the scoring in the 29th minute when he latched onto an assist from Steven Fiema.

Fiema added his second assist of the half at the 40:01 mark. His distribution was finished by senior defender Sam Cole, who scored his first goal of the season.

The Lancers were not finished yet as they added their third goal of the half in the 42nd minute. Fiema, who had a part in each goal, notched the final tally of the evening at the 41:57 mark from an assist by Austin Altimus.

The Cougars did their best to pull a goal closer as they outshot the Lancers 9-3 after halftime, but strong goalkeeping play from Collin Cone secured the win.

Cone made five saves in 90 minutes to preserve Grace’s seventh shutout of the season.

The Lancers will conclude the CL season on Saturday with a home match against Mount Vernon at 3 p.m. With a win, Grace could move into second place depending on how the rest of the league fares.