The No. 1 Grand Valley State Lakers wrap up regular season play this weekend with a home game against Northwood Friday (Nov. 5) at 7 PM and a game at Ferris State on Sunday (Nov. 7) with a 1 PM kickoff. The Lakers have already secured a GLIAC regular season championship for the 16^th consecutive fall, but still have plenty to play for on the final weekend.
 
GVSU is 15-0-1 on the season and has pitched 12 clean sheets. The 2021 Lakers are seeking the seventh undefeated regular season in program history, having last done so in 2018. Additionally, the Lakers are currently ranked first in the NCAA Midwest Region rankings. The top seed of this region would have the right to host NCAA post-season games all the way through the national quarterfinals should they advance that far. The Lakers, ranked first in the nation in the United Soccer Coaches poll, also want to keep that momentum going and building towards their best soccer as the post-season approaches.
 
"Winning the GLIAC is a great accomplishment, but that does not change our approach of working on getting better every day. We are focused on each training and each match as an opportunity to be better than the day before," head coach Jim Conlon said.
 
The Lakers rank second in Division II in scoring offense and first in assists. Behind the veteran leadership of Cecilia Steinwascher and goal-scoring ability of Super Sub Greta DeLoach, GVSU's offense has seemingly returned to the form of their 2019 national championship team with 29 goals over their last six games. DeLoach has scored in nine straight games and is second in the nation in goals while Steinwascher has a GLIAC-best nine assists from a primarily defensive position.
 
Northwood won seven of their first eight games this season before hitting a rough patch, dropping six of their next seven games including a 2-0 loss to the Lakers in Midland. They've rebounded with back-to-back wins to enter this weekend at 10-7 overall and 6-7 in the GLIAC.
 
The losing stretch highlights the importance of forward Juliana Paoletti; the Timberwolves are 8-0 this season when their leading goal-scorer finds the back of the net and just 2-7 when she's held off the board. Senior midfielders Jessica Piper (eight goals and an assist) and Abigail Fowler (seven goals and six assists) have played big roles for Northwood this season as well, but it's become clear that this team goes as their junior forward Paoletti does.
 
"Northwood is well organized and coached with strong veteran leadership. They have multiple options in the attack and are tough to predict. We will need to be disciplined and quick to react at all three lines to prevent them from building dangerous chances, because they are very good at taking advantage of their opportunities," Conlon said.
 
The regular season ends with the lone team the Lakers did not beat this season; drawing with Ferris State, 2-2, in Allendale earlier this season. The Lakers scored two goals in the final seven minutes to force overtime and narrowly missed a game-winner in the golden goal extra time, but settled for a draw with the Bulldogs.
 
Ferris State enters the weekend 11-3-2 overall and 8-2-2 in the GLIAC, currently sitting in third place in the regional rankings. The top two in the region earn the right to host on opening weekend, so the Bulldogs know this matchup is a huge opportunity to bolster their post-season resume after back-to-back 1-0 losses. They will visit Davenport Friday before hosting the Lakers Sunday.
 
Grace VerHage is second in the GLIAC in points with 30 and is one of only three players in the conference to rank in the top-10 in both goals and assists (DeLoach and Kennedy Bearden of GVSU are the other two). Pia Nagel has scored nine times this year while Bri Rogers has eight goals and an assist from a defensive role. Nikki May and Isabella Zamborini have been good facilitators of the offense with 11 assists between the two. Darya Mosallaei has had a stellar freshman campaign in net, making 54 saves and posting an .844 save-percentage with eight shutouts (five solo) this season.
 
"Ferris State is going to bring a ton of energy and a sense of urgency to this game. We will have to match their intensity and be at our best for all 90 minutes to get a result on the road to finish the regular season on the right note," Conlon said.
 
The last time the Lakers played in Big Rapids, Michigan, they rallied for a GLIAC Tournament Championship in the spring. The Lakers have played on the last possible day of three straight seasons and are looking to end the regular season playing their best soccer as the post-season, and chance to make a run at a fourth straight, fast approaches.