ALLENDALE, Mich. – The No. 1 Grand Valley State Lakers will face yet another test this weekend as the top two teams in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) and Midwest Region collide Friday (Oct. 19) with the Lakers facing the No. 12 Ferris State Bulldogs in Big Rapids, Michigan at 4:00 PM. The Lakers will then finish up their road regular season schedule on Sunday (Oct. 21) in Midland, Michigan in a rematch with the Northwood Timberwolves, who the Lakers narrowly defeated in a non-conference matchup earlier this season.
 
The Lakers, now 14-0-1, got their first win over a nationally ranked opponent of the season last Friday, downing then-No. 21 Saginaw Valley State, 2-1, in overtime. Ava Cook headed home the game-winner for her GLIAC-best 11^th goal of the season while Riko Sagara had an assist on the winner, her nation-leading 13^th of the year. The Lakers, who also got a 3-0 win over Ashland on Sunday, are one of two teams (Central Oklahoma) ranked in the top-5 nationally in both scoring offense (2^nd, 3.67) and scoring defense (4^th, .262). 
 
Ferris State (12-1-2. 4-0-2 GLIAC) sits in second place in the league with 14 points, four behind the Lakers. In the initial NCAA Regional polls released earlier this week, the Lakers (No. 1) and Bulldogs (No. 2) were the top two teams in the Midwest Region. The Bulldogs rank third in the GLIAC and 34^th in the nation in scoring with 2.47 goals per game and their .832 goals against average is just outside the national top-50. They've won four straight matches and haven't been beaten since the season-opener in a 2-1 double overtime loss to Missouri-St. Louis, which came despite a 34-6 edge in shots for Ferris State. The Bulldogs have a brand-new field this season but the Lakers remember their trip to Big Rapids from last year, when they fell, 1-0, in a non-conference matchup in the regular-season finale. They'll look to extend their 14-match unbeaten streak, the longest in school history by a wide margin.
 
"Ferris has good balance and playing with a lot of confidence right now.  It will be vital that we go up there with a great sense of urgency and do a better job of maintaining it over the full 90 minutes," said Laker head coach Jeff Hosler. "Execution in the middle to final third will be key and I like the way we have progressed over the last few weeks in that area."
 
Reigning GLIAC Offensive Player of the Week, Pia Nagel, leads the team – and is third in the GLIAC - with eight goals and also has three assists for 19 points so far in her freshman campaign. She's started all 15 matches for the Bulldogs and scored six game-winners this season. Carly Dubbert leads the team in points (20) and assists (6) while sitting second in goals (7). The senior is one of three Bulldogs with at least five assists this season, joined by sophomore Mackenzie Dawes and junior Maddie Fouts. In net, three different goalkeepers have gotten starts this year. Allison Chesterfield has a perfect 6-0-0 record in her starts and has conceded just four goals, but she's played in just one of the Bulldogs last six contests.
 
Northwood gave the Lakers all they could handle in Allendale earlier this year, with GVSU scoring on a free kick from inside the penalty area after an illegal use of the hands by their keeper for a 1-0 win. That should give the Lakers some perspective despite the Timberwolves 2-10-1 overall record and 1-4-1 conference mark. They've played some of the GLIAC's top competition extremely tough, with a one-goal loss to Saginaw Valley and a draw with Ashland in back-to-back contests last month. Six different Timberwolves have scored, including three with two goals this season; Ashton Brooks, Karina Parker and Katelyn Wilkowski.
 
"Northwood continues to demonstrate a great ability to execute specific game plans for each opponent," Hosler said. "Don't let their record fool you as they are one bounce away in several matches from being .500 on the year. They are well organized and can defend remarkably well.  As we learned the first time around, we have to be more opportunistic as we only came away with one goal despite more than 30 shots."
 
The Lakers can clinch the top spot in the GLIAC with a pair of wins this weekend, but the Lakers will need full concentration and execution to get the results they need. With the regular season winding down and post-season play looming, the Lakers are looking to lock down home field advantage and also continue to round into form to ensure they're playing their best soccer at the right time.