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PITTSBURGH, Pa. – The No. 2 Grand Valley State Lakers play in the NCAA National Semifinal Thursday (Dec. 12) against the No. 11 Saint Rose Golden Knights as the Final Four kicks off at 11 AM at Highmark Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Lakers were selected as the top overall seed at the Final Four while Saint Rose was picked as the four-seed.
 
The high-powered GVSU offense has propelled them to another run the Final Four, the fifth time under sixth-year head coach Jeff Hosler the Lakers have reached the championship weekend. The national leaders in scoring average (4.71), the Lakers have been even more dangerous in the post-season, averaging 5.29 goals per game with at least three goals in all seven post-season matches.
 
Ava Cook has taken her game to another level in the post-season with eight goals and eight assists in seven playoff games, culminating in a hat-trick performance in the Lakers' 5-2 win over No. 13 Minnesota State in the Elite 8. She now leads all of Division II in goals (28) and points (67). Riko Sagara, the national assist leader (23), has also been dynamic in the post-season with seven goals and seven assists. She's one assist away from the GVSU single-season record.
 
"Big players need to make big plays in big moments, and that's exactly what we've seen from two of our leaders on the offensive end so far in the NCAA Tournament," said Hosler. "We rely on a group effort to create chances for our goal-scorers, but they have to find that final touch. The rate at which we've been able to do that so far has been great and it's been contagious for some of our other forwards, too."
 
Defensively, the Lakers gave up multiple goals on Sunday for the first time since the season opener. They lead the nation in shutouts (18) and are second in goals-against average (0.33). All-Region standouts Jessica Radice, Cecilia Steinwascher and Sydney O'Donnell – along with great work from holding midfielder Gianna Parlove - have been a big reason why the historic Laker defense has been so stifling this season.
 
"Our composure and communication along the back line has been terrific all season," Hosler said. "I'm proud of the way Jess and Cec have taken ownership of that and gotten everyone on the same page. We face a very talented offense on Thursday and our communication will be critical to keep them out of dangerous opportunities."
 
The Golden Knights are 21-2-1 this season, representing the East region after they downed No. 6 Bloomsburg, 2-1, in the Elite Eight last Sunday. They rank 10^th in the nation in scoring average (2.83) behind a very dangerous forward in Nina Predanic, whose 20 goals are tied for eighth-most in the country while her 16 assists are good for fourth. Morgan Burchhardt has also chipped in 12 assists this year.
 
The Lakers and Golden Knights don't meet very often, but when they do there's a lot on the line. This is the fourth-ever contest between the two schools, all of which have come in the Final Four, and the Lakers are 1-1-1 in those three meetings. Most recently, the teams played to a 1-1 draw in the 2014 national semifinal with the Lakers advancing on PKs, 3-0, to eventually down Rollins for their fourth overall, and second straight, National Championship. That was Hosler's first season at GVSU. The Lakers fell in the National Championship game to Saint Rose in 2011, upsetting the Lakers' quest for a third straight title. The Lakers beat Saint Rose in the national semifinal in 2009 en route to the program's first-ever national crown.
 
"Saint Rose is a very creative and dangerous team on the offensive end. They can get behind defenses in a hurry and really force you to organize and be aware at all times," Hosler said. "While it has been a few years, the stakes are always high when we face this team and both programs have a lot of pride and have been successful in recent years. We're looking forward to the challenge."
 
Ever since the clock struck zero in the 2018 National Championship, the Lakers have been working to earn a chance at redemption. They've paved the way back to the Steel City and now have a chance, on that very field, to return to the title game and give themselves that shot they've been waiting for.