Nov. 2, 2007

Final Stats

Allendale, Mich. - Grand Valley State University produced strong efforts on both sides of the ball en route to a 3-0 win over Northern Michigan on Friday. The win pushes the #1 Lakers' record to 18-0 on the season and moves them into the GLIAC Championship on Sunday at 12 noon, where they will take on Mercyhurst. Kristina Nasturzio stopped four shots to record the shutout for the Lakers against a physical Wildcats' team.

GVSU got on the board just 7:25 into the match when Katy Tafler centered a ball from the left side. The pass went to Kristen Eible, who touched it once more to Irie Dennis, who put the ball into an empty net for a 1-0 lead. The goal was Dennis's fifth of the season and first of the postseason. Eible and Tafler were both given assists on the goal. Kara Music was strong for the Wildcats all game long, recording eight saves, but she was put out of position by Eible's extra pass.

With time winding down in the first half, Tafler set a GVSU single-season record by scoring her 34th goal of the season. Tafler scored the goal in the 40th minute when Ashley Elsass crossed a ball and Tafler headed it past Music. The previous record for goals in a season by a GVSU player was 33, set by Tafler in the 2006 season. Tafler took six shots in the game and put five of them on goal.

After halftime, the game became increasingly physical, resulting in a yellow card to NMU head coach Matt Granstrand at the 58:58 mark. Katie Johnson concluded the scoring by notching her first of the season in the 73rd minute. After a failed NMU attempt to clear the ball, Johnson took the ball at the top of the 18-yard box and rocketed a shot past Music to make the score 3-0.

The win was the 18th in a row by GVSU and the 26th in a row in Allendale. Both are school records. The championship match between GVSU and Mercyhurst is at 12 noon on Sunday. In the two teams' previous match this year, GVSU defeated MC by a score of 4-0, with all four goals scored by Tafler.