The Grand valley State women’s lacrosse team played Saturday, April 6 against Davenport, earning another win for this year with the score of 17-9. The Lakers now hold an overall record of 9-3 and a GLIAC record of 6-1 for this season.

GVSU traveled to Caledonia to face the Davenport Panthers in another GLIAC matchup. The Lakers had a quick start, they scored four out of the first five goals and at the half they had eight goals. After the half, GVSU went on the score nine more goals to make the score 17-9. 

Carly Shisler led the Lakers with six goals, followed by Sarah Stagaard with four and Sophie Conroy with three. Goaltender Payton Neil had seven saves. The Lakers came into the game ready to play with a focus at hand.

“Our focus was on the draw, we knew this would be a good matchup for us to play,” said head coach Mackenzie Lawler. “We also focused on better consistency and being better in our final execution, we need to play a full 60 minutes.”

Saturday marked the end of their on-the-road season and begins the stretch of home games for the Lakers. Four games remain before postseason starts and the Lakers have their eyes set on the conference with hopes of securing their spot.

“We are excited about focusing on the games ahead to lock down the second seat in conference play,” Lawler said. “We’re ready to get back to final play knowing that GLIAC is getting better and better.”

Conference play is not the only thing on the mind of our lacrosse team, as getting revenge on past foes is a major goal left for the Lakers.

“We are excited to get redemption against Indianapolis,” Lawler said. “We’re ready for another crack at Indianapolis, they went on a bit of a run last time against us, but we know that we can compete against them.”

This season, the Lakers have came out on top in most games. Although the season is not over, Lawler reflects on what it feels like to be so successful in her first year as a Laker herself.

“The season has been great so far and obviously it is great to watch what you learn and teach in practice come to life in games,” Lawler said. “It’s nice to see the defense step up, especially during tough games. Many players have had to step up on offense because we have had many injuries this year, so we get new players playing new positions.”

Lawler has high hopes for the team continuing this season and high hopes for herself as she continues her coaching career as a Laker. The season is coming to a close and so is the first year of her hopefully long career here at GVSU. Her favorite thing so far about coaching at GVSU has been the sense of togetherness in the lacrosse family.

“The community has been so welcoming and involved with me,” Lawler said. “They say that you are a Laker for a lifetime and I can see that it is true. I enjoy coming together with the community and learning from other sports and coaches.”

The Lakers looks to pick up one more wins this weekend, as they’ll face Northern Michigan on Friday, April 12. The game will take place at the GVSU Lacrosse Field, and will start at 6 p.m.