A little over three months ago, the Grand Valley State University women’s soccer team fell to the College of Saint Rose in the National Championship game, ending their season broken-hearted.

It hasn’t taken them long to bounce back, and this weekend the Lakers will open their spring season by taking on Division I competitors University of Michigan and Purdue University in Ann Arbor.

Ending their 2011 season 20-1-4 overall, the Lakers couldn’t help but feel sour over their only loss in the finals.
After winter break, they were back at it training in small groups and workouts to prepare them for a grueling spring schedule.

Losing three starters to graduation and five seniors all together, the Lakers feel the pressure to come together as whole on and off the field. The team will look to junior forwards Ashley Botts and Kayla Addison to lead them to another championship run.

“A lot of us were hurting from the loss in the National Championship but it makes us hungry for next year,” Addison said. “We have a little bit more fight to get back to where we were the year before and try to win the next championship.”

For head coach Dave Dilanni, it’s all about the journey and not the results as he hopes this spring season will help the girls focus on their soccer skills and team chemistry.

“I think we need to get better as a team,” Dilanni said. “There is no doubt about it. I think that skill wise we have focused a lot on being better soccer players and our team chemistry we have spent a lot on this spring season. But being
better teammates for each other and being there to support each other on and off the field will be the two things that carry us through the season.”

With only a few official practices into spring, Dilanni purposely faced the girls against Michigan and Purdue for the next couple of months because he know that this what the team need to push them even harder.

“There are some people that don’t think we are better than a Michigan or Purdue but we have a lot of talent here,” Dilanni said. “It’s a team sport and you never know what’s going to come of it when we get together and play like we can.”

Heading into the new season, Dilanni wants to prepare the girls to improve no matter the outcome. The Lakers have won two national championships within the last three years are looking to use this spring season as “tune-up.”

“We always put up a good fight,” Botts said. “We hold our own, we are just as thick as they are and as fast. Divisions
are seen differently to some people but we aren’t intimidated. We are excited to showcase what we can do against those teams.”

The Lakers will be kicking off their spring schedule this Sunday against Purdue at 2:30 p.m. and Michigan at 4 p.m.

[email protected]