WINONA LAKE, Ind. - Grace’s women’s soccer team is armed with young talent for the upcoming fall season.
The Lancers, coached by Michael Voss, utilized a roster dominated by rookies last year. Grace regularly started seven or more freshmen in 2023.
Voss, one of the winningest coaches in the country with 210 victories, has witnessed the rapid growth from his young team after battling head-to-head against top competition.
“Our young team has dramatically improved. They understand the vision of where we are trying to go, both in our mission and our football, and they’re committed to working to achieve those targets,” Voss said.
To add to the team’s youth, Voss has brought in seven newcomers for 2024. The dynamic, incoming class fills key gaps in the roster, adding depth in the midfield, strength in the defensive line and finishing ability near the goal.
The first-year Lancers have impressed during the preseason; several of the group are poised to compete for starting spots.
The Lancers will still be a young team in 2024 with freshmen and sophomores filling out large portions of the lineup. But Voss was encouraged to see how the squad was embracing the process of daily growth.
“This group really understands the tactical and physical demands, and they’re willing to work hard every day. They are getting stronger and are improving every day,” Voss said. “Everyone is on board for how we want to compete and grow, so the daily process of training and improving is enjoyable. This is a fun group to be around each day.”
The building of the culture can be attributed in many ways to the upperclassman leadership, namely the senior captains Tori Twombly and Sofia Williams. Both captains serve with humility, according to Voss, and have shown improvement with every season.
“Sofia and Tori have been great links within our team because of their leadership. They are also committed to training our next generation of leaders on the team,” Voss said. “When you have players who are helping coach each other, and when everyone is bought in to the process, it’s a great environment to grow.”
A key moment of growth for the team came apart from the training fields in Winona Lake. Grace’s women’s soccer team took a mission trip to Granada, Nicaragua in March. The ladies served in the area, using their platform to share their faith.
But, as is often the case during mission trips, the players themselves were challenged and grew in their faith just as much as they were able to help others.
“That trip was incredibly important to the dynamic of our team. They had to do hard things and push themselves spiritually, emotionally and relationally on the trip. They put themselves in positions to grow deeper in their relationship with Christ and with each other, and it drove them to a place of growth,” Voss said. “The Nicaragua trip was more about faith than football. Humble players are willing to take on adversity and choose to grow. And that’s what this group has done. They are growing and leveling up together.”
As a result, Voss said the players are relating to each other on a deeper level and are more committed to the mission of the team.
On the field, Grace should be less predictable than last year. In 2023, the young team began with the basic steps of Grace’s philosophy on the pitch.
While Grace possessed the ball well against even top-ranked teams, the Lancers struggled to finish goals and complete their possession.
But with another year of collegiate competition under their collective belts, coupled with a talented freshman class, Grace’s ability on the field has greatly improved.
“This year we will have an increased efficiency of moving the ball forward and finishing,” Voss said. “Our mentality has improved as a group. They’re more calm which means there’s less chaos as we move.”
Grace’s back line should see improvement as well. The Lancers added a handful of key pieces to its defensive rotation, and the returners have shown a commitment to improve over the offseason, according to Voss.
And while the ultimate goal on the field is to challenge for an NAIA championship banner, the team remains narrowly focused on putting in the work to improve each day.
“We still don’t know what this group can achieve because they’re still growing so much. But we focus on each step of the season, and we start with every day in training,” Voss said. “We reach for what we need to accomplish each day, give everything that we have, rest and then repeat. This group makes that daily journey really enjoyable.”
The Lancers will open the season with two road matches — including at Brescia on Aug. 21 and at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods on Aug. 24. Grace’s home debut is set for Aug. 28 against Indiana Tech at 7 p.m.