ALLENDALE, Mich. – The No. 2 Grand Valley State Lakers return to action after a two-week hiatus for a pair of Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) spring showdowns this weekend. The Lakers host Ashland on Friday (April 16) at 7 PM and Saginaw Valley on Sunday (April 18) at 1 PM at the GVSU Soccer Field. Both matches will air on ESPN3.
 
The Lakers were off to a 3-0-1 start to the spring season when circumstances surrounding COVID-19 forced the postponement of three straight matches. Despite playing fewer matches than any other GLIAC school, the Lakers still nearly double the next-highest scoring team. GVSU has scored 25 goals in four matches while their next opponent, Ashland, has netted 13 in six this season.
 
The Lakers drew with Michigan Tech, 2-2, in Allendale on the opening weekend, but that match was played on the turf field and was the first GLIAC regular season goal allowed since the 2018 campaign.  Overall this season, the Lakers have outscored their opponents 25-2. After surrendering two goals to the Huskies, the Lakers allowed one combined shot against Parkside and Purdue Northwest the following week before the two-week shutdown.
 
Ashland is brimming with confidence as they enter the weekend on a four-match win streak to sit at 5-1 while holding the second-highest goal count in the league. Mackenzie Kelly has led the way with four goals and an assist while Brianna Fourman and Faith Lewis have each scored twice. Sophomore Bailey Clark has been the main catalyst with four assists, which is tied for the GLIAC lead. Hannah Lee ranks second in the league in save percentage and fourth in goals-against average.
 
"Ashland is always a tough matchup for us with their physicality and energy. With a long stretch for us between matches and limited availability, it's going to be critical that everyone on our roster is ready to match that energy for 90 minutes.  Ball control and tempo are going to be vital." GVSU head coach Jeff Hosler says.
 
Saginaw Valley is 2-3 on the season but have seemed to turn things around with back-to-back wins after an 0-3 start to the year. They are a young team that features a number of freshmen and sophomores, returning few of the key players that led them to a runner-up finish in the GLIAC Tournament back in 2019. Jensen Taylor is the only multi-goal scorer for the Cardinals so far this year, tallying three of the eight they've netted in five matches.
 
"This is a team with a lot of young talent learning how to put it all together at this level of soccer. Like all SVSU teams do, they are getting better as the post season gets closer.  They are going to be aggressive and look for moments so we have to communicate really well in our defensive third to be organized and focused every time they gain possession," says Hosler.
 
The Lakers have little time to shake off the two-week lull with what should be two intense matches that will require full attention for 90 minutes to earn a result. In a year with so much turmoil, another curveball has been thrown the way of the defending National Champions and it will be fun to see how they respond.