ALLENDALE, Mich. – The No. 1 Grand Valley State Lakers claimed a 12
th straight NCAA Midwest Regional title with a 2-0 win over Saginaw Valley Friday (Dec. 3) at the GVSU Soccer Field. The Lakers improve to 21-1-2 and advance to Sunday's (Dec. 5) NCAA National Quarterfinal, facing the Central Missouri Jennies at 1 PM at the GVSU Soccer Field.
Despite dominating possession and stats for much of the first half, including a 13-1 edge in shots, 4-0 advantage in shots on goal and a 6-0 marker in corner kicks, the Lakers went into the halftime break scoreless.
They'd hit woodwork twice and see some jaw-dropping saves from Saginaw's goalkeeper to keep it level, but
Greta DeLoach found the answer in the 57' when she collected a ball at the edge of the attacking third, beat two defenders and tucked a shot off the inside of the left post and in.
Saginaw's sense of urgency increased and the Cardinals started building forward a bit, getting their first few shots after the hour-mark to try and find an equalizer.
Cecilia Steinwascher put a quell on all that. After
Kennedy Bearden played her through on the left side, Steinwascher held off a defender and tucked a perfect ball inside the near post in the 81' to double the advantage and give GVSU much-needed breathing room.
The Lakers pick up their 16
th shutout of the season, not allowing a shot on target from the Cardinals on Friday and just five overall. Their defense will look to continue dominating as a potent Jennies side awaits Sunday. The game can be seen live free on the Grand Valley Sports Network and GVSULakers.com and @GVSUSoccer on Twitter will have live updates and coverage links.
