Coming off its first conference loss in more than three years, things went back to normal for the Grand Valley State University soccer team after it returned to championship form by thrashing Lake Erie College 7-0 on Friday and overwhelming Ashland University 3-0 Sunday.

After dropping a stunning 1-0 overtime decision to Northern Michigan University last weekend, the Lakers (7-1-1, 5-1-1 GLIAC) ended their five-game road trip this Friday with a home match up against the newest member of the GLIAC, Lake Erie College. The Lakers saw seven different players score seven goals, and the final shot tally was an astounding 46-3 advantage for GVSU, 20 of which were on net. Sophomore goalie Chelsea Parise notched her fifth shutout of the year.

Lake Erie, which recently moved up from NCAA Division III, fell to 0-5 in the GLIAC and has yet to register a single goal in conference play.

Though their opponent may not have been of the same caliber as the Northern Michigan team they faced the past weekend, sophomore midfielder Erin Hilbert said bouncing back from the loss was exactly what the Lakers needed to do.

“Winning today was really important,” she said. “We came back and worked hard to get ourselves back into a winning mindset and play together more as a team. I think we did come back and played well, and with the 7-0 score we’re obviously happy with our play.”

Against Northern Michigan, GVSU carried the majority of the action, but could not find the back of the net when their best chances arose. That was not an issue for the Lakers this weekend as they tallied four goals in the first half on Friday, and continued their success as the weekend wore on.

GVSU head coach Dave DiIanni said the difference this week was the approach his team took coming into the matchup.

“We certainly had chances to finish against Northern, but we didn’t do that,” he said. “But today I thought that we just played with more energy, more enthusiasm and a love for the game. I thought we played really well from the beginning and overall looked better than last weekend.”

The Lakers were able to muster seven goals on Friday despite having to battle through a damp field and wind gusts that severely affected the flight of the ball. Junior Meg Brown, who often had to deal with the wind when attempting to get the ball out of the GVSU defensive zone, said the weather affected the entire team’s approach to the game.

“The weather definitely impacted how we were playing,” she said. “With the wind blowing from the side, east to west, it affects the play up and down the field. So, our passes tend to stay on one side of the field rather than going back and forth.”

The Lakers will face University of Indianapolis at 5 p.m. tomorrow at a neutral site in Fort Wayne, Ind., before returning home Sunday for a tilt against Ohio Dominican University.

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