ALLENDALE, Mich. – The No. 8 Grand Valley State women's soccer team will begin the 2023 campaign tomorrow (Aug. 31) at home when they face former GLIAC opponent Ashland. First kick is set for 5:00 PM at the GVSU Soccer Field. 
 
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The last time these two teams faced each other was in the spring 2021 season where Ashland defeated GVSU 2-1 in Allendale. The Lakers are 9-1-1 against Ashland over the last ten years and lead the all-time series against the Eagles 20-10-2. 
 
Head coach Katie Hultin begins her second season under the helm at GVSU. Hultin was named the fifth head coach in program history and led the Lakers to a 16-2-5 overall record in her first season winning the GLIAC Regular Season and Tournament Championship.
 
GVSU returns 16 players that played last year, including seven players that started at least ten games. First Team All-American Taylor Reid returns after a stellar junior season. Reid was named the Midwest Player of the Year and GLIAC Offensive Player of the Year last season after scoring 15 goals and 32 points. Junior Kendall Robertson returns as the reigning GLIAC Goalkeeper of the Year. Robertson appeared and started in all 23 games last season making 58 saves while notching nine shutouts and three combined shutouts. Midwest All-Region and All-GLIAC first team performer Mackenzie Jones returns for her fourth season in Allendale. Jones notched three goals and two assists from her midfield position last season. The Lakers also return All-GLIAC performers Ryann Fetty, Nina Ferraro, and Stephanie Sturgeon. 
 
The Lakers welcome ten freshman to Allendale this fall. Joining the freshman class are three transfers. Fifth year Avery Lockwood transferred to GVSU this fall after spending three seasons at Indiana and one season at Xavier. Lockwood earned All-Big Ten third team honors as a junior and sophomore and was named to the Big Ten All-Freshman team in 2019. She appeared and started in 48 games in her career at Indiana notching nine goals and four assists. Sophomore Alice Spiegel and junior Daan Louwerse are two transfers that will impact the Lakers defensively this season. Spiegel transfers to GVSU after spending one season at Western Michigan, while Louwerse spent two seasons at Shawnee State. 
 
Ashland ended last season with a 15-3-3 overall record and earned their fourth consecutive trip to the NCAA Division II tournament. The Eagles return last year's leading scorer and All-Great Midwest honoree McKinley Mendenhall. The junior notched nine goals and dished out 13 assists for 31 points last season. Ashland also returns All-Great Midwest defender Maddy Grabowski and forward Dani Hicks. Grabowski appeared and started in all 21 games last season for the Eagles, while Hicks was tied for the team with nine goals, while also dishing five assists for 23 points. 
 
Tomorrow's season opener will be live streamed on FloSports. Visit gvsulakers.com for links to live video and live stats and follow @GVSUSoccer on Twitter for live in-game updates.