Sept. 14, 2012
Box Score
ALLENDALE, Mich. – A pair of second-half goals gave the No. 3 Grand Valley State soccer team a, 2-0, GLIAC victory over visiting Ashland on Friday evening at the GVSU Soccer Field.
Recording their fourth straight shutout, the Lakers improve to 5-0-1 on the season and most importantly pick up their first GLIAC win of the year, while Ashland falls to 1-4.
The first half saw little action as Grand Valley State held Ashland outside the 18-yard box and without a shot. GVSU was able to get off six shots including four on net, while taking five corners, but could not find the back of the net.
Freshman Casey McMillan (Byron Center, Mich.) fired a shot from the left side of the box, but it ricocheted off the post in the 30th minute. The Lakers next chance was a hard-hit ball from senior Ashley Botts (Beloit, Mich.) towards the right side of the net, but Ashland keeper Karly Beuck came off the line to swat the ball out of bounds.
Grand Valley State came out of the break with fresh legs and it didn’t take long to score its first goal. Just under two minutes into the second half, McMillan sent a long cross from the right side of the field where it found senior Erin Hilbert (Ada, Mich.) waiting in the center of the net. A header past Beuck into the right side of the goal gave Hilbert her second game-winning goal in as many games.
The Lakers added an insurance goal after a deflection from a GVSU corner kick found the feet of sophomore Charlie Socia (Portage, Mich.) who then fired it into the lower right side between the posts. The goal was the first of the season for Socia.
Ashland’s best chance came when Carly Joliat sent a long ball towards the upper right corner, but senior keeper Chelsea Parise sent it wide just past the crossbar.
For the game, Beuck tallied 12 saves in her first contest of the year. Parise picked up a lone save as the Laker defense kept the ball mainly on the opposite side of the field.
GVSU is back in action on Sunday against Ohio Dominican at 1 p.m. The Panthers picked up a 3-0 win over Ferris State on Friday.
