ALLENDALE, Mich. – The top-ranked Grand Valley State Lakers will look to continue their undefeated 2018 as they host a pair of Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) foes this weekend. A top-25 showdown kicks off the weekend with the Lakers hosting No. 21 Saginaw Valley State on Friday (Oct. 12) at 7:00 PM before a rematch with the Ashland Eagles on Sunday (Oct. 14) at 1:00 PM at the GVSU Soccer Field.
 
The Lakers, sitting at 12-0-1 this season, earned the top spot in the latest United Soccer Coaches poll, their first No. 1 ranking since October of 2016. After beginning the season ranked sixth, the team has steadily climbed to the top. The team sits top-5 nationally in both scoring offense (4^th, 3.85 GPG) and scoring defense (3^rd, .227 GAA) and leads the GLIAC in both categories. As a team, the Lakers have 52 assists this season, 17 more than any other GLIAC school this season. The team-style play is a big reason that four of the top 10 goal-scorers in the league this year are Lakers.
 
A Laker leads every individual offensive statistic in the GLIAC; Madeline Becker and Ava Cook lead in goals (10), Riko Sagara leads in assists (12) and points (24), while Cook leads in shots (63). Cook and Becker are second and third, respectively, in the league in points. Goalkeeper Jessica Radice leads the conference in goals against, goals against average, and ranks third in save percentage.
 
In what may be the Lakers toughest test to this point in the season, the nationally-ranked Saginaw Valley State Cardinals bring a 9-1-2 overall record and 3-0-1 GLIAC mark into Allendale Friday. Valentina Giambanco leads the offense for the Cardinals with seven goals, tied for third-most on the GLIAC, while Molly Vanderhoff's five assists are tied for second in the conference. The Cardinals are coming off a draw against a stout Ferris State team and an overtime win over the Ashland Eagles. With impressive results in their last few matches, a national ranking and one-loss record, the Cardinals are flying high coming into Friday's match.
 
GVSU beat the Cardinals twice in 2017, both in Allendale and both by 3-0 scorelines. The Lakers downed SVSU in the GLIAC Tournament finals to cap off their 11^th straight tournament crown. Of the aggregate 6-0 score from last season, only one goal scorer is on the 2018 active roster in senior Tara Lierman. The Cardinals won three of their last four GLIAC matches last season to sneak into the 6-seed in the GLIAC Tournament before upsetting 3-seed Ferris State and 2-seed Ashland and then falling to the Lakers in the final. They have carried that hot play into 2018 and look to continue to build on their program's recent success.
 
"Games with Saginaw are always full of passion and complete opposite styles of play," Laker head coach Jeff Hosler said. "It will be critical that we remain focused on our game plan, move the ball well and win individual battles in order to establish ours."
 
The Lakers are 17-9-2 lifetime against the Eagles, playing Ashland to a scoreless draw in Ohio earlier this year. Despite dominating virtually every statistic in the match, the Lakers were unable to find the back of the net thanks in large part to Hannah Lee, who ranks fourth in the GLIAC in both goals allowed and goals against average, and her six saves along with Abby Lampe's four to keep the Lakers out of goal. The Eagles enter the weekend 7-1-4 and 2-0-2 in GLIAC play. They suffered their first loss of the season last week in non-conference action against SVSU in a 1-2 overtime result.

"We obviously have great familiarity with Ashland having played them just a few weeks back in our first road match," said Hosler. "They are a very good side and gave the most resistance to our attack this season, but I believe our team has come to understand how to move the ball better and create more dangerous moments.  Sunday will be a good opportunity to measure that improvement." 
 
As the Lakers have learned first-hand, goals are hard to come by against the Eagles. They've allowed just eight goals this season and multiple goals just once. Offensively, Deijah Swihart's six goals and Hannah Simard's five lead the Eagle attack. Swihart, who was the only Eagle to take multiple shots in the earlier meeting this year, hasn't played in the last four matches for the Eagles.
 
While the Lakers took care of business in their tough early season non-conference schedule, Friday features the first nationally-ranked opponent the Lakers will play this season. In addition to the test of their opponent, the Lakers will also be tested mentally in their first match as the top ranked team in the country. In a year with several GLIAC teams undefeated in conference play, this weekend's matches are critical for league standings in addition to NCAA Tournament implications down the line.