INDIANAPOLIS - For the second consecutive year, the Marian women's soccer team was crowned as the Crossroads League Tournament Champion after defeating No. 14 Grace 2-0 Saturday afternoon at St. Vincent Field. The Knights are 14-1 after the conclusion of the league tournament, and clinched their second consecutive NAIA Tournament berth with the win. 

CHAMPIONSHIP PHOTOS

Unlike the first meeting between the two teams of the season, Grace played with a strong defensive strategy in the midfield, as they attempted to prevent Marian from scratching an early goal. The Lancers stalled Marian's initial run of the game in the third minute of the game, as Erin Oleksak made a strong charge to the net and attempted to set up a cross for Mackenzie Hall, but a Grace defender made a quick recovery to kick the ball out of play. The Lancers returned with sprint of their own in the eighth minute, but wasted a potential scoring chance as Sacia Hanson lost control over the goalline. 

Allie Schlom took the opening shot of the game for either team in the 14th minute as the Knights were able to break through Grace's midfield pressure, but the sophomore's shot was saved by Bethany Blackwood. Grace returned with a pair of shots at the top of the 19th minute, with Victoria Lucido having her shot blocked by Natalie Prena, with the rebound attempt from Madison Tuma missing wide of the net. It took the Knights until the 28th minute before their offense generated another scoring chance, as a set piece shot from Oleksak was saved by Erin Crew, who denied the ball in front of the net to preserve the scoreless contest. 

The Knights picked up three shots in the final 6:01 of the half, but fell short of scoring as Jacelyn Smith, Hall, and Naomi Walters each came up short-handed. The late shot surge gave Marian a 5-2 lead in shots at the intermission, with Marian holding a 2-0 corner kick advantage. 

Marian aimed to strike quick in the second half as they began the period with possession, and did just that, scoring in just 14 seconds. Hall sent the opening kick deep upfield for the Marian strikers, and Oleksak gained the free ball at the top of the box. Oleksak broke loose from the defense, and quickly turned to find Chloe Ulmer, allowing the senior a chance to put away a right-footed shot to give Marian a 1-0 lead. The goal was Ulmer's 14th of the season, and moved her into a tie for second-place all-time on the Marian career goals-scored list. 

With the lead at hand, Marian pressured Grace and shutdown most of their offensive runs, receiving several stops from Prena, Maya Decker, and Sydney Genatempo to halt the Lancers progress. While the defense continued to apply the heat, the offensive approach remained the same, working the clock through the midfield with Marian slipping away to get a handful of shot attempts off. The Knights' offensive persistence finally paid off in the 77th minute, as Oleksak put the game out of reach, as the sophomore intercepted a poorly played Grace pass and put away the easy goal to seal the 2-0 contest. 

Marian held a 12-5 advantage in shots and put six attempts on goal, while also holding a 3-0 advantage in corners. Noelle Rolfsen made one save in the contest as she recorded her 10th win of the season, and Oleksak led Marian in shots and points with four and three, respectively. Ulmer, Schlom, and Hall each took two shots, with Ulmer putting away her fifth game-winning goal of the season on her 46th minute goal. 

With the Crossroads League Tournament win, Marian has secured an automatic qualifying position into the NAIA National Tournament, which begins in April, 2021. Marian will have six regular season games and three exhibition matches to play in the spring prior to NAIA Opening Rounds. 

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