MANKATO, Minn. – The Grand Valley State women's soccer team is set to travel to Mankato, Minnesota for a pair of games to close out the nonconference schedule. The Lakers will face Mary on Friday (Sept. 8) for a neutral site game in Mankato, Minnesota at 2:00 PM ET before playing No. 8 Minnesota State on Sunday (Sept. 10) at 3:00 PM ET.
 
The Lakers opened the 2023 campaign last weekend at home against Ashland and Maryville. GVSU dropped the opener 1-0 against Ashland before playing a 1-1 draw against Maryville. Sophomore Kacy Lauer scored for the Lakers against Maryville off an assist from graduate Avery Lockwood. Junior defender Daan Louwerse played all 180 minutes for the Lakers last weekend, while senior forward Taylor Reid led the Lakers with five shots, two on goal.
 
This will be the first ever meeting between the Lakers and Mary. The Marauders started the season with a scoreless draw against Western Colorado and then defeated Minnesota State Moorhead 1-0. Junior Mo Malone scored the lone goal for the Marauders, while also playing all 180 minutes last weekend. Mary finished last season with a 10-5-4 overall record and advanced to the NSIC Quarterfinal round.
 
Minnesota State enters the weekend with a 1-0-1 record. The Mavericks opened the season with a 7-0 win against Oklahoma Baptist before playing to a scoreless draw against Emporia State. Senior Allie Williams notched two goals and two assists in the win over Oklahoma Baptist, while recording three shots. Sophomore Avery Korsching scored two goals on five shots. Senior goalkeeper Mackenzie Rath stopped all nine shots over the two games.
 
This is the 13^th overall meeting between the Lakers and Mavericks. The last time these two teams faced each other was last season in Allendale with Minnesota State winning 1-0. GVSU is 6-3-3 all-time against Minnesota State including a 1-0-1 postseason record. The Lakers won 5-2 in the NCAA Quarterfinal round in 2019 and tied the Mavericks in 2012 NCAA Quarterfinals with GVSU advancing to the final four with a 5-4 win in penalty kicks.
 
Both games will be live streamed on the NSIC network. Visit gvsulakers.com for links to live video and live stats and follow @GVSUSoccer on Twitter for live in-game updates all weekend long.