Friday vs. Walsh: Game Notes  l  Live Stats
Sunday vs. Lake Erie: Live Stats

ALLENDALE, Mich.— As it takes to the road for a pair of conference matchups this weekend, the Grand Valley State women's soccer team finds itself in unfamiliar territory. Fresh off a loss to Florida Tech on Wednesday--just their fourth in the three seasons—the Lakers will have to rebound strongly this weekend and look to improve on the issues exposed on Wednesday. 
 
Wednesday's loss was an exposé of sorts, a game which highlighted the nature of soccer as a game in which the rankings don't matter and the better team does not always win. However the Lakers are well aware of what their best soccer looks like, remain completely sure that Wednesday night's showing was not it, and know what needs to be improved upon moving forward.
 
"We've been preaching the idea that we need better possession, a sense of urgency and more consistent execution in all aspects, particularly in front of goal, for most of this season.", said GVSU head coach Jeff Hosler. "The lack of all these things is what afforded our loss Wednesday night.  Everyone needs to be more accountable, myself and the coaching staff included."
 
If one loss in a season can ever be considered a season in jeopardy, then the Laker's have set a precedent in each of the past two seasons to the contrary, rallying from losses in each of those seasons to hoist the Division II National Championship trophy just the same. Part of what has built the Lakers success, the "dynasty" that some praise, has been the ability to take the hits –however few—and bounce back from them better than before.  The Lakers lacked intensity and heart on Wednesday night, and paid for it with their first loss of the season.
 
Enter the weekend's road contests, and a chance to get back to winning ways. Worth mentioning for perspective is the Laker's career record against Walsh and Lake Erie, an unblemished 10-0 GVSU series lead between the two opponents. However, those games are in the past, and this weekend's matches pit the defending national champions against two much-improved sides from last season.

Lakers fan may recall last season's game against Walsh as a low-scoring affair, a 1-0 victory that clinched the program's 11^th straight GLIAC regular season title. By hosting the Lakers on a small playing surface and running out a defensive-minded game plan, the Cavaliers avoided the lopsided defeat suffered by many of their GLIAC brethren, and will likely approach this weekend's game with a similar strategy.
 
 "They play on a tiny field and sat in with a lot of numbers behind the ball a year ago and expect the same Friday night", Hosler said. "This year adds a different dynamic with an attacker that possesses loads of pace and is a good goal scorer, so we will need to account for the counter."  
 
This season, the Cavaliers have surprised some around the conference, and at 6-3-1 are situated in the middle of the league table. Striker Olivia Peters is having a nice season, with nine goals and an assist in ten games for the Cavaliers, who have already matched last season's win total with half their games yet to be played.
 
Sunday's opponent, Lake Erie, is also an improved side that has eclipsed last season's win total and sits at 6-4 overall on the season. The Storm are 1-3 in conference play, having dropped their last two games to Saginaw Valley State and Northwood, and will have their hands full trying to contain Grand Valley State's high scoring offense, as they did last season.  Lake Erie is surrendering 2.33 goals per game to opponents, and has yet to play an offense as capable as the Lakers.
 
One thing that will work against the Lakers on Sunday is the playing field, which will limit the ability of GVSU to space out and exploit the Storm in the wide areas of play.
 
"Against Lake Erie we again are forced to play on a smaller than regulation playing surface, so stretching the game out and having clean execution in possession is crucial", said Hosler.
 
The Lakers will play against Walsh at Milazzo Field at 7 PM on Friday, before traveling to Painesville, Ohio to take on Lake Erie at Slattery Field on Sunday at 1 PM.