ALLENDALE, Mich.—The #2 Grand Valley State women's soccer team scored two second half goals on the way to a 3-0 victory over the Ohio Dominican Panthers at GVSU Soccer Field on Friday. The game was the last regular season conference matchup the two teams will ever play, as Ohio Dominican leaves the GLIAC at the end of the season.
 
Gabriella Mencotti scored a goal and dished out an assist to continue her torrid junior campaign, and her effort was matched by senior Kendra Stauffer, who netted the game-winner for the Lakers in just the seventh minute of play.
 
GVSU was tested by a feisty Panthers squad that gave little hint of being a team mired in a 4-4-4 season.
 
"ODU came out very aggressive, and was high pressing from the opening whistle", said GVSU head coach Jeff Hosler. "I don't think we've played against many opponents that high pressed as much as they did, and as clean as they did, so I give them a lot of credit for that. I  have a lot of respect for the way their kids play."
 
The Lakers broke through the Panther defense in the seventh minute, as Gabriella Mencotti streaked past a defender to the right baseline before firing a low cross in front of the ODU goal. Stauffer lunged ahead of her defender and fired a strike high into the net for her ninth goal of the 2016 campaign.
 
That goal would be the difference heading into the break, as the Lakers were unable to convert any scoring chances into an insurance goal in the remaining 38 minutes of the first half.
 
"We need to continue to be better and more efficient in front of goal", said Hosler. "Too often when we take shots we score, we miss frame, or we shoot it right at the goalkeeper. We need to be more effective at making the goalkeeper move, forcing them into tougher saves so if we don't finish we have the possibility of rebounds. We showed some minor improvements, but we have a long way to go in that category."
 
Just eleven minutes into the second half, GVSU found the goal it wanted, coming off the foot of Mencotti. After corralling a ball played in by Marti Corby to the left side of the net, Mencotti strafed to her right, got a step on her defender and fired a laser of a shot that floated past Panther goalkeeper Kelsey Harris for her team-leading 16^th goal of the season.
 
In the 72^nd minute, the Lakers got a third goal off of an interesting looking combo play. After midfielder Tara Lierman played a high cross from the left baseline a bit too far, it ended up bouncing to Stauffer, who one-touched a pass to Jayma Martin with her back to goal at the edge of the goalie box. After collecting the pass, Maritn shook her defender with a spin to the right and fired a low shot past a diving Harris for her 10^th goal of the campaign.
 
Defensively, the Lakers pitched yet another shutout thanks to the stellar work of their defensive back line and a tag-team effort from the goalkeeper duo of Jennifer Steinaway and Paige Pryson, with each playing a half and making two saves apiece. The Lakers held the Panthers to just eight shots overall (four on goal).
 
"Defensively we were very sound, the only time they had any touches on the ball in the box were off of corners and set pieces, and we won the vast majority of those balls", Hosler said.  I thought Erika Bradfield was fantastic tonight on both sides of the ball, Shannon Quinn was great on defense and Madz Ham just quietly plays consistent, strong defensive soccer. She's very decisive and clean getting out of the back for us in high press situations."
 
Next up for the Lakers is a Sunday matinee matchup with Findlay (3-9-1), fresh off a 1-0 loss to Ferris State on Friday. That matchup is at GVSU Soccer Field and will be prefaced with a ceremony to honor the six Laker seniors.