ALLENDALE, MICH. – The GVSU women's lacrosse team continues their homestand this weekend, welcoming in Northern Michigan on Friday, then playing Concordia-St. Paul on Sunday. Sunday will be Senior Day for the Lakers, where they will celebrate the careers of five outstanding seniors.
 
NMU: Live Stats | Video | Tickets | 5:00
CSP: Live Stats | Video | Tickets | 12:00
 
For Sunday's Senior Day festivities will honor Sema Hasanof, Kaylyn Cater, Zoe Ziegler, Karleigh Rothe, and Ashleigh Rothe. This class has won 61 games, three GLIAC regular season and Tournament championships. They totaled three NCAA Tournament wins, including the 2023 Midwest Regional Title and a trip to the Final Four.
 
Last week, GVSU took down Davenport 12-3 on the road, then dismantled SVSU 25-3 on Friday afternoon. The Laker defense was fantastic in both contests, allowing a combined 27 shots, only 18 of which were on goal. They caused 16 turnovers and picked up 44 groundballs. On the offensive end, seven players scored multiple goals. Zoe Ziegler led the way with nine goals and two assists. Ashleigh Rothe tallied seven goals, giving her 100 for her Laker career, adding four assists. Gracie Bancroft scored six times, Kendra Swope four, and Ella Boose added a hat trick. The Lakers moved to 9-3 overall and stayed perfect in the conference standings at 4-0, one game up on CSP.
 
In the first matchup with Northern Michigan, the Lakers fell behind early, 6-2. They battled back to tie the game at 11 midway through the fourth quarter, forcing overtime. In the extra time, Rothe found Emerson Holthouser for the game-winning goal. Rothe tallied six scores in the win, with Ziegler adding a hat trick. Cater and Sarah Krause combined to stop eight shots in net.
 
The Wildcats dropped their second GLIAC contest of the year last weekend, falling to CSP. They are now 8-5 overall and 2-2 in league play. The Wildcats have the most prolific offense in the conference, scoring 177 goals, and totaling a league-high 225 points. The head of that offense is sophomore Josie Lakosky, who leads the GLIAC with 52 goals and 69 points. She scored six times on the Lakers in the first matchup and has only been held scoreless once this season. Three other Wildcats have recorded over 20 goals this season. NMU also boasts the top draw unit, winning over 15 draws a game, almost six more than their opponents. Zoe Montgomery has taken the reins in net as a freshman, starting all 13 games, posting a .476 save percentage and 68 saves. The Wildcats are still looking for their first all-time win over GVSU, entering the weekend at 0-17.
 
Sunday's matchup with Concordia-St. Paul will be the second of the season between the Golden Bears and the Lakers. GVSU took the first game in Minnesota, 17-10. After trailing 3-1 early on, the Lakers ended the first half on a 9-2 run to lead 10-5 at the break, never looking back for the seven-goal win. Jillian Bingman and Ziegler both notched four goals, with Rothe tallying a hat trick. The Laker goalkeepers made six saves in the win, in what was the first conference win of the season.
 
The Golden Bears are in second place in the league standings at 3-1 after taking down NMU last weekend. CSP is led offensively by a two-headed monster in Susie Monson (47 points) and Anna Fisher (43 points). Both have tallied over 25 goals and rank in the top four in the conference in points per game. They combined for seven goals and two assists in the first meeting this season. On the defensive side, they have three of the top four in caused turnovers in the league, and their goalies have a collective .440 save percentage. CSP has also never defeated the Lakers, going 0-13 in their history.
 
How to Follow
Both games will be available to follow along with via live stats or live video on FloSports. Or you can follow along on social media at @gvsuwlax.