Katie Bounds may not lead the Grand Valley State women's soccer team in any category, nor is she a starter, but the speedster provides more impact plays than arguably anyone in college soccer for someone averaging just 37 minutes per match. Sunday (Nov. 9) afternoon, the junior forward scored two goals in an eight-minute span, leading the No. 11 Lakers to a 2-1 victory over No. 23 Ohio Dominican, and their eighth consecutive GLIAC Tournament title.

"(Players like Bounds) are few and far between. It takes an unselfish attitude to come off the bench in that role and know your minutes are limited. But she's always embraced it the right way and always done it, because she knows its the best thing for the team," said head coach Jeff Hosler. "Today is just another day she proved that again. She was just phenomenal for us in the first half.

"I'm very happy for her, for today, and it's just a reflection of how her season has been."

GVSU's win vindicated its only loss in conference play this season—a 1-0 loss to the Panthers in Allendale back on Oct. 17 that led to a split regular season conference title. 

The Lakers left no doubt their reign over the GLIAC has not yet come to an end.

"This week, they have really been playing with a sense of urgency. We had three very quick starts to the game, in terms of possession, and were on the front foot through those early minutes in each of these tournament games. That's going to be important carrying forward," said Hosler. "Overall, looking back on the year to this point, I think they have a solid belief in themselves, each other and this team, which is important when you get into postseason play."

"Today, for them, validated what we set out to do when GLIAC play started. I'm proud of them, because it was a tough, tough environment."
 
A free kick in the 30^th minute set up GVSU's go-ahead goal. Redshirt senior defender Kaely Schlosser started the run with a through ball to sophomore midfielder Marti Corby in the 18-yard box. From there, Corby touched a pass to Bounds, who crashed the left side with a full head of steam. The Southfield, Michigan native re-directed the well-placed pass into the netting.
 
Bounds struck again at the 37:56 mark. This time she didn't need much help, delivering what would eventually be the game-winning goal on an individual two-touch play. With a clear shooting lane from 20 yards out, Bounds could not resist putting it on goal. She blasted a shot right into the upper 90, well out of goalkeeper Laura Clark's reach.
 
Taking home the title still required a strong effort in the closing frame. Playing on its home turf, Ohio Dominican made sure to go down swinging. GLIAC Freshman of the Year Ashley Blake rifled a shot into the upper 90 with 15 minutes left in regulation to give the Panthers hope.
 
As the physicality and drama heightened, the scoring chances and crowd noise increased with it.
 
But, as it has in so many tight matches over the years, GVSU's defense did not wilt under pressure. The veteran back line remained composed amid the chaos, routinely clearing out any dangerous chances Ohio Dominican created down the stretch.

"Today's environment was very, very difficult, especially in the second half. It was loud, a little chippy and physical. But our girls, by and large, kept our composure and that's not an easy thing to do. I think a lot of teams would have cracked," said Hosler. "We bent a little bit, but we certainly didn't break, and finished the job."

Bounds and junior midfielder Katie Klunder, who all combined for six goals and two assists in the three-match event, along with Schlosser and redshirt freshman defender Alexis Mencotti earned All-GLIAC Tournament Team nods following the championship trophy presentation.
 
GVSU will carry 18-2-1 overall record into NCAA Tournament, where it will look to defend its 2013 national title. The Lakers will learn their postseason matchup and location on Monday (Nov. 10) at 7 p.m. Entering this weekend's matches, GVSU was ranked No. 2 in the NCAA Midwest Regional Rankings. If the Lakers hold on to one of the top two spots in the regional rankings, they will host an NCAA First Round and NCAA Midwest Regional Semifinal match next Friday (Nov. 14) and Sunday (Nov. 16).

"Obviously we are excited for (national) postseason play, and what the pairings look like tomorrow night," said Hosler. "Then our focus is immediately going to be on what we need to go to get better at Tuesday training."

To watch the announcement of this year's 48-team NCAA Tournament field, please click here.

Notes:
-With two victories this weekend, GVSU improved to 12-7-3 in November matches played outside of Allendale
-Today was GVSU's fourth victory against a team ranked No. 8 or higher in the NCAA Midwest Regional Rankings
-For the eighth time this season, Kaely Schlosser played every minute of the match
-The Lakers improved to 13-0-0 in matches they are leading at halftime
-Katie Bounds tallied her third multi-goal match of the 2014 season this afternoon
-GVSU lifted its record against Ohio Dominican to 5-1-0
-In their 16 matches against GLIAC opponents this season, the Lakers scored 53 goals