Video | Live Stats | Match Notes

For the first time in the eight-year history of the GLIAC Tournament, the Grand Valley State women's soccer team will need two wins away from home to claim the title. To date, no one has beaten the Lakers in the league's postseason event. The club has gone 16-0-1, notched seven titles and hosted all of the semifinal and championship matches, until now.

This time, however, the road to the title goes through Columbus, Ohio.
 
Traveling has not been an issue for these Lakers, though. In its nine matches away from home, GVSU is 7-1-1, with its only loss coming at No. 1 Minnesota State.
 
This is also the time of year when the Lakers seem to be at their best.
 
GVSU carries a 43-11-17 all-time record in November matches. The program's last loss in the year's 11^th month came all the way back on Nov. 21, 2008 against No. 21 Wisconsin-Parkside.
 
Head coach Jeff Hosler has seen his team's mindset and approach to each match change drastically over the last several weeks.
 
"This group is playing, right now, with a mentality that they have a lot to prove. I think we went through, possibly, some entitlement issues during the middle portion of our season," says Hosler. "They are just in a different mindset as the season gears up at this time of year."
 
Perhaps the biggest change had nothing to do with an adjustment in mindset. GVSU's defense has come a long way since the season's opening month, looking more and more like the back lines of old in its most recent matches. The Lakers enter the weekend with shutouts in each of their last five contests.
 
"Early in the season, we were trying to replace two key pieces from the previous years, in addition to a goalkeeper," says Hosler. "There were so many question marks early that the back line put so much pressure on themselves to play mistake free, when the reality is, early in the season, you're not going to do that. Over the last couple of weeks, everyone has been really comfortable with their roles and understands how to play with each other.
 
"It's a lot easier to be disciplined and play more freely because you trust and know how the players around you play."
 
Friday's (Nov. 7) GLIAC Semifinal will be a rematch with Michigan Tech, one the Lakers have been longing for ever since their scoreless tie in Houghton, Michigan roughly two weeks ago. Given the numerous scoring chances GVSU created, it walked away disappointed. Now it has an opportunity to atone for that result.
 
"We did a great job of generating chances up at Michigan Tech. Now we have to execute that final ball and finish," says Hosler. "I have seen players understand what we are looking for much more in the last couple of weeks now that we have found our groove."
 
If the Lakers do come away with a victory against the Huskies, either top-seeded Ohio Dominican or fifth-seeded Ashland will stand in the way of an eighth consecutive championship.
 
In order to come away with a pair of victories this weekend, Hosler is looking to one position group in particular to be the difference makers.
 
"I think teams go by their midfielders. They are so vital on both sides of the ball. They have to be active offensively. They have to read the game well, find open spaces to play and combine with each other and our outside backs going forward," says Hosler. "Defensively, they have to transition well. Against Michigan Tech, a team that's very direct, physical and good ball-winners, it's important our midfielders, defensively, transition well.
 
"And our back line has to keep those players in front of them, forcing them to combine in order to beat us."
 
GVSU's rematch with Michigan Tech kicks off at 4 p.m.. The GLIAC Championship is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. on Sunday (Nov. 9).