ALLENDALE, Mich. – The No. 22 Grand Valley State Lakers host their second annual Multiple Sclerosis Game this Friday (April 12) when the Northern Michigan Wildcats come to town for a 6:00 PM opening draw. The Lakers will be decked out in orange uniforms and will have merchandise, donation stations and a silent auction to help raise money for MS research.
 
The MS Game is a true example of sport being bigger than the game itself. Current junior Abbi O'Neal lost her father to MS just before the 2017-18 school year. Lacrosse, and sports in general, were a huge piece of the bond between father, a former collegiate football player, and daughter. O'Neal leaned heavily on her teammates and coach during the difficult time and the idea for the MS game was born. See the full story.
 
GVSU has won three straight matches entering Friday, coming off a 17-9 win over Davenport on the road last Saturday. The final four games of the regular season will all be home for the Lakers, who currently sit in second place in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC).
 
The Laker defense has held their opponents to single digits in scoring in six of their last seven contests while the offense has scored 17 or more in six of those seven as well. Kelley Fitzgerald has contributed 19 assists over the last three matches and now sits third in the GLIAC with 35 on the season.
 
Northern Michigan is coming off back-to-back losses to Concordia-St. Paul and now sit at 2-5 in the GLIAC and 3-8 overall. The offense is led by Graison Ringlever (#27), who has scored 31 goals on the year and Jessica Daniels (#25) with her 20 tallies. Tess Kostelec (#3) leads the team with nine assists. Cam Stilson has played every minute between the pipes for NMU this season, making a GLIAC-best 125 saves but still has a goals against average of 15.96.
 
The Lakers play for a good cause as they support one of their own in the second annual MS Game. Donations will be accepted throughout the night with all proceeds from the evening benefitting MS research. Fans of both teams are encouraged to wear orange as the Lakers and Wildcats team up to take on MS together.