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After their first appearance in the NCAA tournament, the #8 Grand Valley State women's lacrosse team looks to take another step forward in 2017. The Lakers will travel to Lakeland, Fla. to take on #1 Florida Southern and #2 Adelphi on Thursday and Saturday. 

GVSU finished last season with a 15-5 record and were 11-1 in GLIAC play and won their fourth consecutive GLIAC tournament title with a 20-10 victory over Findlay in the tournament final. The Lakers ended the year ranked 12th in the country in the final Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) Division II poll and were able to break through for their first NCAA Division II tournament berth in program history. 

The Laker offense ranked first in Division II last season, averaging 16.1 goals per game and returns three of the top-10 point scorers in program history in IWLCA Second Team All-American Erika Neuman (165 pts.), Ryan Skomial (170 pts.), and Kira Dosenberry (104 pts.). The Lakers also return All-GLIAC First Team attacker Meghan Datema (45g, 68dc) and All-GLIAC Second Team attacker Danielle Tunnell (44g). 

GVSU's defense will be looking to replace IWLCA Third Team All-American defender Caitlin Wojichowski, who is second all-time in caused turnovers for the Lakers. GVSU returns All-GLIAC honorable mention defender Adrianna Smith and defender Kelly Leibovitz to fill in the spot left open by Wojichowski's departure. Other defenders who could see increased roles are Adrienne Kihn, Olivia Passe, Aimee Hite, and Winnie Bohls. 

The Lakers will have two goalkeepers returning this season that won at least seven games apiece. Sarah Zwilsky returns for her senior season after posting an 8-3 record in 2016 with a 10.26 goals against average and save percentage of 44%. Brianna DeMilia went 7-2 last season with a 7.16 goals against average and a save percentage of 51%. 

Alicia Groveston will begin her sixth year as the head coach for the Lakers in 2017. The GLIAC Coach of the Year from 2016 holds a 66-26 record through her first five seasons with the program. The Lakers were able to defeat #5 Florida Southern and #19 Bentley last season, with Florida Southern being the first top-five rated team that GVSU has defeated in program history. 

GVSU will take on the two teams that played in the national championship game last year to start the season in #1 Florida Southern and #2 Adelphi. The Lakers will take on the defending champion Florida Southern Moccasins on Thursday (Feb. 16) at 7 pm and Adelphi on Saturday (Feb. 18) at 12 pm at Bryant Stadium in Lakeland, Fla. Adelphi was unbeaten last year until the national championship matchup against Florida Southern, a team they had beaten 16-10 earlier in the season. 

In all, the Lakers will face off against seven preseason ranked opponents in 2017 and four of the top five preseason ranked teams in #1 Florida Southern, #2 Adelphi, #3 Le Moyne, and #5 Lindenwood. 

The opening draw in Lakeland, Fla. against Florida Southern is scheduled for 7 pm on Thursday, while the matchup against Adelphi is scheduled to begin at noon on Saturday. Thursday's game will be streamed live at the link listed at the top of this page.