On Friday, Oct. 19, the Grand Valley State women’s soccer team faced off with one of GVSU’s biggest rivals: the Ferris State Bulldogs. Through the harsh weather and 110 total game minutes, the Lakers were able to add another win to their record to improve to 16-0-1. 

The Lakers hit the road for a match-up against the Bulldogs, and found tough competition in Big Rapids, Mich. Throughout the first half, the Lakers dominated the field with six shots on goal and a lot of action by the Bulldogs goal. 

“We possessed the ball really well throughout the first half,” said head coach Jeff Hosler. “We probably had 75 percent of the possession, though we didn’t create a ton of chances on the attack.” 

As the Lakers fought hard on offense, they did just as well on defense, only allowing four Bulldog shots on goal and one corner kick in the first half. Both teams made several attempts to score, though came up short. Going into halftime, the score remained tied at zero, challenging the Lakers to continue their intensity and focus into the second half. 

“It’s a big game,” Hosler said. “We talk about playing 90 minutes, and you can’t do that without putting two halves together, which I don’t think was difficult to try and get them to give.” 

Heading into the second half, the Lakers came out aggressively, creating different opportunities to try and get on the scoreboard. Despite the efforts of Laker defense, the Bulldogs managed to score in the 60th minute of the game, leading the game 1-0. 

The Lakers were able to bounce back just two minutes later, after a hand ball foul was called on the Bulldogs, giving the Lakers a chance at penalty kick. Sophomore Cecilia Steinwascher stepped up to the line to try and earn GVSU’s first goal, and found the back of the net to tie up the score 1-1. 

“There’s been multiple times this year where our opponent has equalized in the game, and we’ve battled back to get the win,” Hosler said. “This is the first time we’ve trailed all season, and I think the girls responded really well. We tend to get back on the front foot and play with a chip on our shoulder in those moments.” 

The rest of the second half was a back and forth battle between GVSU and FSU, both teams fighting to get one more point on the board before the end of the half to earn the win. Neither team was able to score again before regulation time ran out, sending the game not into one overtime, but two. 

“The first overtime was played similarly to the end of the second half, we were in control of the ball and we got some combinations, but we just couldn’t finish,” Hosler said. “We had a lot of corner kicks in the game, probably in the high teens, that helped us scrap to get a goal, just fighting into the box to get a goal to get the win.” 

In the 107th minute, freshman Haley Dehaan was assisted by Steinwascher to nab the winning goal for the Lakers, ending the game 2-1, continuing their undefeated record into the season. 

Though the Lakers got the win, Hosler said there are still some aspects the team can work on approving. 

“We’ve got to generate more scoring chances,” Hosler said. “We’ve got to be more opportunistic.” 

The Lakers face off with the Davenport University Panthers on Friday, Oct. 26 at the GVSU soccer field at 7 p.m.