Under an eerie cover of fog and a constant drizzle, the Grand Valley State women’s soccer team battled against the Michigan Tech Huskies on Friday, Oct. 5, pulling through with another win to maintain their undefeated status. The Lakers finished the match with a 3-1 lead, improving their record to 11-0-1 in the season.

Throughout the first half of Friday’s game, it was a back and forth battle between the Lakers and Huskies, both aggressively trying to find the back of the net. With long, slick grass, some players found trouble getting their footing, adding difficulty to executing opportunities to score. Head coach Jeff Hosler encouraged his players to continue playing through the less-than-ideal field as both teams were fighting the same weather.

“This is the first time we’ve played in something other than a dry field,” Hosler said. “We just had to make sure we provided some better coverage defensively and be a little more focused on ball security.”

The Lakers found the Huskies to be tough, as they are a high pressing team, a technique GVSU had not seen all season. Hosler said that he didn’t think the team was patient enough throughout the first half, which kept them from scoring until a few minutes before halftime.

“We haven’t played a team that’s come out to try and press us yet this year as well as Tech did today,” Hosler said. “I think it caught us off guard a little bit, but it gave us a lot of things to work on.”

Finally, in the 41st minute of the game, sophomore Ava Cook was able to gain the Lakers’ first goal with an arching left pass assist from sophomore Corey Sawall. The Lakers were able to head into halftime with a one point lead, though the Huskies showed no signs of backing down.

The Lakers came into the second half not quite able to get a footing and allowed the Huskies to score in the 58th minute, tying the score and increasing the stakes for the Lakers. Hosler said that the team lost some of the urgency they had initially come onto the field with in the first half and consequently allowed Tech to capitalize on the lack of energy.  

“Tech really took the game to us,” Hosler said. “What you saw in the second half was a game of contrasting styles, and their style won out for too long in that second half. When that happens, teams find ways to get to goal and they create chances and ultimately, they equalized.”

Sophomore defender Cecilia Steinwascher felt the pressure all throughout the game but amped up the hustle after the Huskies’ goal.

“We had to bounce back after we got scored on, and had to pick it up because we needed another goal to win,” Steinwascher said. “Staying connected and reorganizing ourselves was pretty important.”

Communication played a major role in regrouping and refocusing the team in order to score again. Not only is talking on the field crucial to playing as a unified front, but listening as well.

“You need everyone to be listening to the one person that’s communicating,” Steinwascher said. “They are giving all the directions and trying to organize.”

Fortunately, the team was able to get back into the groove they had been missing since the first half. The Lakers gave it their all to the very end of the game, scoring their last two goals in the final five minutes of the half. 

The first goal came from sophomore Caitie Baron off the corner, with Cook finding the net again to bring the score to 3-1. Both goals were assisted by sophomore Sydney O’Donnell.

Cheers and hugs were shared by girls on and off the field with clutch scoring so close to the end of the game, providing a bit of relief for everyone as the clock ran out.

“At the end of the day the score line might not be what we set out for, but there’s going to be a lot of good that comes out from today,” Hosler said. “The fact that we can see the goal, when that goal came it was an equalizer. We had to find our way back, and we had to find a way to capitalize.”

Though the Lakers ended on a high note, they are still looking to improve on some gray areas that were exposed during the game Friday night. One aspect that GVSU is looking to improve on is closing the disconnect between the back line and midfielders that allowed for the Huskies to break through and score. Hosler said he has also been encouraging the players to have courage when looking to score.

“Goals don’t all have to be pretty,” Hosler said. “Sometimes it’s just courage and grit and getting a touch on something, and that’s how we capitalized on the corner and responded with nothing but a heart and hustle play from Ava Cook to seal the game.”

The Lakers are currently ranked No. 2 in the nation and are undefeated in the GLIAC. They will be facing off with Saginaw Valley State on Friday, Oct. 12 at the GVSU Soccer Stadium. The game is set to begin at 7 p.m.