Not even a mild hailstorm could slow down the Grand Valley State University men’s lacrosse team’s high-powered offense on Sunday afternoon as the Lakers steamrolled visiting Siena Heights University 28-3 to cap a weekend sweep.

The No. 1 nationally-ranked Lakers completed the sweep to move to 7-0 with the blowout win over Siena Heights after demolishing archrival and postseason foe No. 2 Davenport University in a 16-5 win on Thursday afternoon.

The Lakers dominated Davenport early and never looked back. Senior Cam Holding lead the way for GVSU, single-handedly outscoring the Panthers as he tallied seven goals and two assists on 14 shots.

“We came out with the objective to win and play hard,” Holding said. “We knew they would be gunning for us since they are No. 2 in the country, but I thought we were focused from the get go. We slowed the ball down and kept it out of their end, which was very good since they have a very potent attack.”

Junior captain Jack Dumsa was surprised that Davenport’s lethal attack did not make an appearance, but credited the Laker’s strong attacking and defense as crucial in the win.

“It was a great win,” Dumsa said. “We thought that they would bring out a bigger challenge, but we came out strong and made them adjust their game in a negative way. They are a much better team than what we saw so I’m not too satisfied, but I’m definitely happy with the way we played and the winning margin.”

Sophomore Jeremy Pouba tallied an additional four goals on nine shots, and Dumsa lead the passing game with four of the team’s eight assists. Senior goalie Alex Billings earned the win after stopping eight of the Panthers’ 13 shots.

GVSU head coach Tim Murray said he was happy that the team has continued to meet their own expectations while surpassing those of naysayers.

“We haven’t accomplished our goals of winning a conference championship and a national championship yet, but we’re putting ourselves in position to accomplish them,” Murray said. “(Davenport is) a cross-town rival, No. 1 versus No. 2 and it doesn’t get any bigger than that. It’s nice since not a lot of people expected us to do what we’ve done at this point in the season.”

For a team that has given the Lakers nightmares since last May, vindication came in the form of a blowout home win against a good, top-10 opponent.

“I think it says a lot about our team,” Dumsa said. “There’s always doubters out there that say Davenport has too many weapons for GV, but I think it proves to the whole league that we’re contenders this year. It means a lot to us and shows that we have the confidence to compete with anybody.”

The Lakers carried the momentum from Thursday’s win into Sunday where they thumped CCLA newcomer Siena Heights University 28-3. Junior goalie Kyle Schutte earned the win while almost every Laker got time on the field.

“That was awesome and a lot of fun,” Holding said. “We got everyone into the game and enjoyed the win.”

The Lakers will be back in action Wednesday night at 7:30 against Ferris State University.

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