TIFFIN: LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO
WHEELING JESUIT: LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO

ALLENDALE, Mich. -- The No. 20 Grand Valley State Lakers begin their Great Lakers Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) season Friday (March 16) in Tiffin, Ohio with a 7:00 PM matchup with the Tiffin Dragons. The Lakers have won the GLIAC regular season title in each of the last five seasons and were selected by the league coaches as the preseason favorite for a sixth straight title. GVSU enters the contest 1-2 on the year while Tiffin is 2-2 this season. This is the conference opener for both teams.
 
The Lakers won their season opener, 16-6, over Kutztown two Saturdays ago, thanks in large part to a flurry of four goals in the first two minutes of the second half to put the Golden Bears away. Erika Neumen recorded seven goals in her season debut, a strong statement from the 2016 All-American that missed last season due to injury.
 
GVSU then had a challenging trip to Sparks, Maryland – facing a pair of teams ranked in the top-15 in the Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) national rankings. The Lakers hung tough with No. 4 Le Moyne, falling by four, before dropping a contest with No. 12 Regis, 16-15, in overtime. Despite the losses, there were plenty of positives for the Lakers, including sweeping GLIAC Player of the Week honors with attack Ashley Bailey earning offensive honors and goalkeeper Brianna DeMilia taking the defensive nod.
 
Bailey leads the Lakers with 15 points this season, scoring eight goals and dishing seven assists through three games. Neumen leads the team with nine goals to go along with a pair of assists while Abbi O'Neal, who had a banner freshman season, has five goals and five assists to begin her sophomore campaign. On the defensive side, DeMilia made 28 saves across the two games at the US Lacrosse Complex, adding a caused turnover and pair of ground balls.
 
Tiffin has alternated loss and win through their first four games. After a 15-4 loss to Lindenwood, they earned a signature win over a tough East Stroudsburg team, 12-11, in overtime. They then fell to another top Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) club in West Chester, 16-3, before bouncing back for a 13-12 win over Lake Erie. The Dragons are averaging eight goals per game, led by midfielder Elle Hamilton who has scored 10 of the team's 32 goals this season. Only five Dragons have scored so far this year, which may benefit the stout defense the Lakers are known for.
 
GVSU follows up their Friday matchup with Tiffin with a trip to West Virginia to face the Wheeling Jesuit Cardinals. WJU is 2-5 on the season but have a pair of key offensive weapons in Paige Orbell, who has scored 23 goals this season, and Kori Hickman, who has delivered 21 assists while scoring 10 times herself for a team-high 31 points.
 
The Lakers face long travel for the second straight week but look to shake off the miles and get back to their winning ways to begin the 2018 GLIAC campaign on the right foot. Stay tuned to GVSULakers.com and @GVSUWLAX on Twitter for in-game updates, live stats and full coverage of the road contests.