Nov. 16, 2007

Final Stats

Mankato, Minn. - After 36:40 minutes of their match on Friday, Grand Valley State University trailed for just the second time this season. But the #1 Lakers bounced back with a goal 1:31 later en route to a 4-1 victory over Drury in the Great Lakes Regional Championship. Katy Tafler scored twice, powering the Lakers into the fourth round of the NCAA Tournament, where GVSU will take on either Minnesota State or Nebraska-Omaha on Sunday, Nov. 18 at 1 p.m. CST.

Mandi Little came off the bench for the Panthers and beat Kristina Nasturzio in a one-vs.-one situation to put DU up 1-0 in the 37th minute. The goal was Little's eight of the season and came from Melissa Perry. The goal put the Lakers behind for just the second time all season. The only other match that GVSU trailed was against Tiffin on Oct. 18.

This time, the deficit did not last very long, as Tafler scored her school-record 35th goal of the season just 1:31 later. She took a pass from Jamie Radley and beat Panther keeper Jessie Sanderson from the top of the 18-yard box to tie the score at one. Sanderson was busy all day long, facing 16 shots and recording 12 saves. After Tafler's goals, the teams played another 6:49 of scoreless soccer and went into the break tied at one.

Ashley Elsass put GVSU ahead 11:21 into the second half. Tafler played a beautiful centering ball from the right side of the net, and Elsass banged it home to make the score 2-1. The goal was Elsass's 14th of the season, and the assist was Tafler's 11th. While Sanderson saw shots throughout the game, Nasturzio was relatively untested, making one save on two shots, as the GVSU defense limited the Drury offense to just five shots total.

In the 72nd minute, Natalja Stanski gave the Lakers some insurance. Sue Christenson took a corner kick and placed the ball in the middle of the six-yard box. Stanski went up and put a head on the ball, beating Sanderson to her left. Tafler would close out the scoring 6:01 remaining in the contest. She beat two defenders on the right side of the net and charged in on Sanderson alone. She blew a shot right past the keeper, giving GVSU the 4-1 lead, which would be their final margin of victory.

The win extends Grand Valley State's unbeaten streak to 21 games, dating back to last season's National Championship. Their record overall is now 20-0-1 in 2007, and they are ranked No. 1 in the NSCAA national polls. Drury finishes the season with a record of 17-5-3. GVSU's next match will be on Sunday, Nov. 18 at 1:00 p.m. CST. They will take on the winner of the match between Minnesota State and Nebraska-Omaha.