From Marti Corby to Dani Johnson to Tara Lierman, the Grand Valley State midfield has become a dominant line with marquee names since head coach Jeff Hosler took over six years ago. As his young but experienced team heads into 2019 ranked No. 1 in the nation, the Lakers could boast their deepest midfield group yet. Led by the reigning regional player of the year, and lone senior, Riko Sagara, the midfield brings a ton of excitement to the field this season.
 
Sagara led the nation with 23 assists last year en route to GLIAC Player of the Year honors and a unanimous first team All-America junior season. The Tokyo, Japan native now enters her second season in Allendale after a pair of NAIA All-America seasons and looks to close her college career with her best season yet.
 
"Riko is a fantastic facilitator and has great vision on the field," said Hosler. "She's been working to create more scoring opportunities for herself and we hope she can lead by example this year and share some of that with the rest of our playmakers as they continue to grow."
 
There are a plethora of young and very talented midfielders that could break out in 2019. Darline Radamaker grew immensely last season during her freshman campaign, blossoming into a key attacking midfielder for GVSU during their run to the National Championship game. Chantel Carranza, a highly touted signing that missed her freshman year recovering from a torn ACL, has had a fantastic fall camp and looks as though she's returned to the form that made her one of the most dangerous youth soccer players in the country.  Her versatility will also likely lead to opportunities as a forward.
 
"Dar and Chantel have a great chemistry and compliment each other so well on the field," Hosler said. "Dar's speed and agility blended with Chantel's ball skills and creativity make them a lot of fun to watch when they're on the field together. It gives us a lot of options in the attack and we can move players into different spots than in the past."
 
Back in the mix this season is Gianna Parlove, who returns after a medical redshirt year and looks to build off a very impressive freshman season back in 2017, when she had five goals and nine assists to earn second team All-GLIAC honors. Her ability to tackle and cut out balls can turn defense into offense making her a great fit for the holding midfield position that has been so key to the Lakers defensive success in recent years.
 
Chelsea Graves provides tremendous depth on the attacking side, scoring some huge goals for the Lakers last season, netting a pair of game-winners including the clinching goal in the Midwest Region championship match against Ferris State. Lauren Ross and Haley DeHaan provide experience and versatility to play any role in the midfield while Morgan Krause, an exciting transfer from University of Iowa, looks to play a big role once she returns from surgery.
 
"Getting GiGi back is huge for our midfield with what she can do in one of our most key roles" said Hosler. "When you look at the depth we have in the midfield, it gives us a great deal of confidence that when we go to the bench and continue playing at a high level. This should help us keep everybody fresh throughout the year."
 
With a deep and talented midfield, the Lakers possession and chance creation should be at a premium this season, giving fans an exciting pace of play that can see the Lakers create dangerous situations consistently and, sometimes, seemingly out of nowhere. GVSU will get their first chance to display this talented group on Thursday, September 5, when the Lakers host Rollins at 7:30 PM at the GVSU Soccer Field.