On a day when everything seemed to work against the Grand Valley State women's soccer team, it found a way to conquer yet another form of adversity. A snow-covered pitch made it difficult for the Lakers to play as quickly as they would have liked, but, nevertheless, they overcame the less than favorable conditions and bested Bellarmine 2-0 in the NCAA Midwest Regional Semifinals.

"Everything from box to box had an inch or two of snow. Trying to possess and play a possession style was very difficult to do. Balls take a long time to travel. It's tougher to have a clean touch as well," said head coach Jeff Hosler. "Surviving today, with the conditions, is huge. I think it just builds more character in our group and furthers our mental toughness. To be successful today and have a clean sheet gives us some momentum going into training this week."

Freshman forward Gabriella Mencotti, who entered the day with just one tally in GVSU's last eight matches, scored both goals.
 
An early miscue showcased exactly how much of a factor the morning snowfall would have on the match. A turnover in the back line—which was a result of a miscalculation in passing speed—set up a dangerous scoring chance for Bellarmine in the match's opening moments. It turned out to be the most important of senior goalkeeper Andrea Strauss' four saves.
 
With Mary Beth Gorham charging the goal, Strauss sprinted out of the goal and toward the top of the 18-yard box. A well-timed sliding save sent Gorham's shot flying toward midfield.
 
After it adjusted to how slow the pitch would play, GVSU seized control of the tempo, creating more and more scoring chances as the match wore on.
 
Mencotti capitalized on one of those opportunities in the 34^th minute. Redshirt senior defender Kaely Schlosser lofted a pass into the 18-yard box from roughly 25 yards out, giving a host of Lakers with a chance to break the tie. Mencotti quickly got the loose ball on her foot and blasted a shot into the corner of the goal.
 
Nearly 10 minutes after halftime, Mencotti struck again. This time, junior midfielder Katie Klunder set up the Novi, Michigan native. Klunder's initial shot on goal rebounded off Hannah Poteet's hands, leaving the ball loose in front of the six-yard box. Mencotti made sure to put away the point-blank shot for her 15th tally of the season.

"Freshmen tend to go through a dead week or two during the course of their first year. Their bodies just aren't used to all the work we put in. She may have gone through some of that recently over a 2-3 week period," said Hosler. "All week she has been back to her normal self. She is more active and certainly been really engaged from the mental side of the game.

"I saw those hungry eyes again this week and she showed up big today."
 
Those two tallies were all the Lakers would need. The back line yielded a mere four shots on goal, only one of which came after the 52^nd minute. GVSU has recorded a clean sheet in seven of its last eight matches.
 
The victory lifts the Lakers' overall record to 19-2-1 and sends them to their 10^th consecutive Midwest Regional Championship.
 
GVSU will face top-seeded Wisconsin-Parkside, which has not lost a match this season, next Friday (Nov. 21) in Somers, Wis. A starting time for the match has yet to be determined.

"I don't think it matters to them whether we are hosting or traveling," said Hosler. "There's only going to be 16 teams left at the end of the day, so they are all excited for the opportunity to have another week."

Notes:
-GVSU is now 14-2-2 in home NCAA Tournament matches
-The Lakers carry a 10-1-1 all-time record in NCAA Regional Semifinal contests
-Gabriella Mencotti's 15 tallies this season are tied for the third-most goals by a Laker freshman in program history
-In November matches, GVSU is now 46-11-7, including a 34-4-4 mark at home, with 37 shutouts
-Andrea Strauss posted her 14th solo shutout of the season, moving her into a tie with Chelsea Parise for the fifth-most clean sheets by a Laker in a single campaign