ALLENDALE, Mich. – The No. 3 GVSU Lakers wrap up the regular season in a non-conference tilt against a familiar foe Friday (Oct. 27) when they face the Ferris State Bulldogs in nearby Big Rapids, Michigan at 4:00 PM. The Lakers look to win 16 straight matches to end the regular season after starting out 0-2 and keep strong momentum riding into the post-season, which begins next week.
The Lakers (15-2-0, 9-0-0 GLIAC) have more than just pride and momentum to play for on Friday, being the No. 1 seed in the Midwest Regional rankings for the second week in a row. The Bulldogs (10-7-0, 6-3-0) are also regionally ranked and present an opportunity for the Lakers to strengthen their case as the top team in the Midwest come tournament time and make some adjustments against a quality opponent.
"This match will be a very good tune up for the GLIAC Tournament starting next week," said Lakers head coach
Jeff Hosler. "There are some things we need to explore in style and personnel and this will give us that opportunity."
One constant is forward
Gabriella Mencotti, who looks to get back to goal-scoring form heading into the playoffs. After a ridiculous stretch of 11 goals across three consecutive hat-tricks, Mencotti has scored just once in the four matches since. Mencotti is still second in the nation in goals scored (21) and points (48) this season. The attention that Mencotti draws in the box has opened things up for teammates, though, with
Mia Gale and
Makenna Schoolman each scoring their first goals of the season Sunday in the 3-1 win over Northern Michigan.
Tracey McCoy, who was moved from a defender to forward for her senior season, is starting to make offensive waves as well, collecting six points over her last four matches.
Ava Cook had a streak of five consecutive matches with a goal snapped Sunday, but only played 14 minutes. Cook is third in the GLIAC in total points (25) this season, behind only teammates Mencotti and
Tara Lierman (26).
The Lakers took care of business against Ferris State in the conference meeting between the two teams in Allendale earlier this year. The Lakers got a 1-0 win on the strength of a Lierman goal, but two missed penalties and a few other chances that went by the boards kept the match close. Still, Hosler says the team will need to up the pressure to get a road win against a tough opponent.
"Ferris did a good job in reducing the number of quality goal-scoring chances last time out. We will need to play with a greater sense of urgency in the attack," he said.
After a split over the weekend in the Upper Peninsula, the Bulldogs fell to eighth in the latest regional rankings, currently on the outside looking in of the NCAA Tournament. With a matchup against Grand Valley State this week, plus the potential to face fifth-ranked Ashland and, possibly, GVSU again in the GLIAC Tournament, Ferris will see their strength of schedule soar, and a win this Friday would go a long way towards catapulting the Bulldogs back into the national tournament mix.
The Bulldogs, who have won three of their last four matches, lean heavily on defender
Carley Dubbert for their offensive production. The junior leads the team in goals (9), points (20), shots (58) and shots on goal (36) this season. Freshman
Bri Rodgers has started every match for Ferris State and is second on the team with five goals this season.
The GLIAC Tournament seeding is already decided with the Bulldogs the three-seed with the Lakers hold the top spot. This means the two could not meet until a week from Sunday (Nov. 5) in the championship match. Depending on regional rankings following the conference tournament, there is also a chance the Lakers and Bulldogs could meet again come NCAA Tournament time. Considering how tight the first match of the year was between these rivals, Friday's match could set the tone for each team's respective playoff run. Which makes this match anything but meaningless.
