ALLENDALE, Mich. – The No. 1 Grand Valley State women's soccer team played a 2-2 draw against No. 6 Central Missouri in the home opener Friday night (Sept. 2). Both the Lakers and Jennies records move to 2-0-1. The Lakers will be back home on Sunday (Sept. 4) against No. 19 Minnesota State at 1:00 pm.
 
Senior Kennedy Metzger scored her first goal as a Laker to tie the game at two in the 75' minute on great lead passes from Ryann Fetty and Stephanie Sturgeon. Kennedy Bearden scored her first goal on the season in the first half. 
 
It was back and forth action was most of the first half. Central Missouri got the first good look of the game in the very first minute off a Laker turnover, but Kendall Robertson was in good position to make the save. The Lakers would get their first good chance of the game in the 16' minute when Nina Ferraro took a shot but was saved by the goalkeeper. Kennedy Metzger in the 27' minute got off a great shot from just outside the top left of the box that was turned away by a diving save on the bottom right corner of the goal.
 
The Lakers would finally find the back of the late in the first half in the 41' minute. Kennedy Metzger had her shot blocked in the middle of the box and the ball bounced back to her where she took another shot that hit off the crossbar. Kennedy Bearden was there to clean it up to give the Lakers a 1-0 lead heading into halftime.
 
Central Missouri answered early in the second half to even the score at one. The referee called an indirect free kick in the box where Central Missouri would capitalize. The Jennies would take the lead 16 minutes later in the 69' minute off a corner kick that was headered it from the bottom right of the box. 
 
The Lakers battled back and found the equalizer in the 75' minute. Stephanie Sturgeon made a great move to get past a defender towards the middle of the box where she made a great feed to Ryann Fetty on the inside of the right box. Fetty crossed it to the middle of the box where Metzger was there to finish it home.
 
GVSU would dominate most of the possession after the equalizing goal, getting three more shots to try and find a late go-ahead goal but two of them went high and one was saved by the goalkeeper.
 
Senior Kennedy Metzger scored her first goal as a Laker to tie the game at two in the 75' minute on great lead passes from Fetty and Sturgeon. Kennedy Bearden scored her first goal on the season in the first half on a rebound that went off the crossbar. The Lakers had a 12-11 advantage in the shot column with both teams even with six shots on goal.
 
Kendall Robertson started in net for the Lakers and made four saves on six shots faced. Robertson made two huge diving saves in the second half to keep the game tied at one. Cate Brown led all field players by playing all 90 minutes, while Kennedy Bearden played 81 minutes. Metzger led the Lakers with four shots, two on goal.
 
The Lakers will be back in action on Sunday (Sept. 4) as they host No. 19 Minnesota State at the GVSU Soccer Field. Follow @GVSUSoccer for live in-game updates and visit gvsulakers.com for links to live stats and video.