ALLENDALE, Mich. -- In the game of soccer, the final score doesn't always tell the whole story. The No. 3 Grand Valley State Lakers downed reigning GMAC champion Ohio Valley University, 1-0, Friday (Sept. 7) afternoon at the GVSU Soccer Field. Despite winning by the slimmest of margins, the Lakers dominated just about every other statistic; out-shooting the Fighting Scots 25-5, earning a 5-0 ledger in corner kicks and drawing 13 fouls, including three yellow cards, on OVU. The Lakers improve to 3-0 to start the season and hand Ohio Valley their first loss of the year, falling to 1-1-2 on the season.

"In the end, this was a quality win against a talented side and it's always better to learn lessons with a positive result. But the key is to genuinely learn the lessons," said head coach Jeff Hosler. "We did a good job in possession by didn't make or opponent uncomfortable enough in the final third as we were very stagnant."

The Lakers found the net early on with Corey Sawall taking a feed through the middle from Tara Lierman and beating a defender for her second goal of the season. The Lakers have become accustomed to fast starts; they've scored within the first 13' of all three matches so far this season. Ava Cook peppered a match-high eight shots - including three on frame - while Riko Sagara took three shots and Sydney O'Donnell fired a pair. Jessica Radice pitched her second clean sheet of the season, saving the only shot on goal from OVU in the match.

"Despite hitting the crossbar twice, our attempts have to force the GK into saves and ones that are more difficult than today," said Hosler. "We have to deliver better final balls with more accuracy and in turn be more efficient in front of goal."

GVSU looks for their best start since 2010 when they host the Bridgeport Purple Knights on Sunday (Sept. 9) at 12:00 PM. GVSULakers.com will provide live stats and you can follow along on Twitter with @GVSUSoccer.