LCA’s Keely Bauer lets loose on a goal against Whitko Monday night. (Photo by Mike Deak)

GRACE COLLEGE WOMEN 4, WEST VIRGINIA TECH 0

Liz Van Wormer continued her goal-scoring ways with a hat trick on Monday for Grace’s women’s soccer team.

The No. 15 Lady Lancers (3-0) topped West Virginia Tech 4-0 on the road to remain undefeated. Van Wormer, a Warsaw Tiger graduate, has now scored five goals in the past two matches.

Grace started the game as the aggressor, trying a few early shots and keeping the ball at WVU’s end of the field.

The Lady Lancers found a breakaway chance 15 minutes into the match, but Baylei Peters’s shot was saved from close range.

The Golden Bears (0-1) implemented a high defensive line to try to slow down Grace’s attack, resulting in six offside calls against the Lady Lancers in the first half.

Grace broke through in the 27th minute. JJ Aalbue sent in a corner kick from the right side, and Liz Van Wormer finished off the cross for her third goal of the season.

The teams entered halftime with Grace ahead 1-0, but Grace’s scoring was just getting started.

During the early portions of the second half, Grace added three more goals in the span of five minutes.

Cassidy Wasson scored first after an assist by Alexis Larimore.

Van Wormer then found the back of the net twice a minute apart to complete her hat trick and put the Lady Lancers ahead 4-0. Wasson and Sacia Hanson assisted Van Wormer’s second and third goals respectively.

The ball remained pinned in the Golden Bears’ territory for much of the second half. For the half, Grace owned an 11-2 advantage in shots.

The Golden Bears were outshot 16-3 overall, and Grace also had all six corner kicks in the match. The Lady Lancers were whistled offsides 12 times.

Bethany Blackwood earned her second shutout of the season, making three saves in 90 minutes. She was protected well by McKenna Cruz, Lea Moessinger, Hannah Tkacz and Brooke Kohler.

The Lady Lancers return home on Saturday for an 11 a.m. match against Graceland.

NORTHWOOD BOYS 7, LAKELAND 0

NorthWood fired and fired often on the Lakers Monday afternoon in LaGrange.

The Panthers ripped 34 total shots and 23 on target in an onslaught of offense on the hosts.

Andre DeFreitas connected on three of seven shots for goals, while Kayden Newcomer and Sebastian Guillen scored twice in the rout. Guillen and Jerson Sanchez both had a pair of assists while Trent Edwards and Chandler Bontrager both had a helper.

Andrew Graber and Trent Iwema combined on the shutout in net, Graber making just one save in 70 minutes and Iwema untested the final 10 minutes for the clean sheet.

NorthWood (2-0), ranked No. 14 in the Class 2-A poll, will get its stiffest test to date when it visits Class 3-A No. 18 Northridge Thursday night.

LAKELAND CHRISTIAN ACADEMY GIRLS 7, WHITKO 1

LCA had just too much firepower Monday night in a matchup of bordering neighbors.

The sister act of Tori and Jessi Calizo did most of the damage in a lopsided first half. Jessi, a sophomore, scored first on an assist from her sister. Tori, a senior, used a pass from Jessi to get her first goal of the night. Jessi would soon score another and Tori would get her second and third of the match, the hat trick achieved on a header on a Joy Hanes corner kick with just four seconds left in the half.

Hanes would send a corner kick inward early in the second half that ricocheted of a Whitko defender and into her own net. Keely Bauer would finish the LCA scoring with a breakaway goal moments later to put the Cougars up 7-0.

Zoey Gaff would break the shutout by deflecting a cross into LCA’s net for Whitko’s lone goal midway through the second half.

Kaylee Gaff also had a pair of penalty kick saves to add some highlight to Whitko’s otherwise lopsided afternoon.

LCA head coach Nat Raber remarked on how his team is adjusting early in the season, trying to find the pieces to all fit in place.

“It’s been a work in progress,” started Raber, noting his team is working on filling the huge void at midfield for the graduated Anna Reimink. “We know it will take numbers to replace what Anna did. I challenged Tori to be the one we want to play through and we are working on finding her some support in that role. We have a few players in mind already and the next couple of games will be telling.

“I thought we came out well tonight and did the same verses North Miami earlier this year. Our practices have been a bit different then last year as the focus is on ball movement as opposed to just individual play. That should help us establish a rhythm earlier then in the years past.”

LCA (2-1) will visit Wawasee Thursday evening.