Coming off of five straight away games, the Grand Valley State University’s women’s soccer team (7-1-4) returned home to Allendale, Mich. for a match against Michigan Technological University (4-2-6) on Friday, Oct. 13. Nearly two weeks removed from their last meeting, when GVSU won in a 2-0 shutout at MTU, the Lakers’ tied the Huskies with a final score of 1-1.
Following their previous 2-1 win over Davenport University (4-4-3), the Lakers’ spirits were high heading into this matchup, sporting pink socks for Breast Cancer Awareness month and the team’s “Kick Out Cancer” game.
Both teams not only had to compete with their opposition, but they also had to battle harsh playing conditions. Gloomy skies along with heavy rains and winds lay consistent throughout the 90 minutes of play.
“In conditions like this, we can’t control it. We need to make sure we are locked in and constantly trying to play our game,” freshman midfielder Ella Kleiver said.
Regardless of what nature brought, each team continued battling until the final second.
GVSU kicked off to start, and they kept pressure on MTU with nine shots on the goal in the first half. Although many shots were taken, none managed to get past the Huskies’ senior goalie Gracie VanLangevelde, as the game was still scoreless at half.
The first goal of the game came at 64 minutes from the Lakers’, when Kleiver was able to get one in on the MTU ‘keeper. With assists from sophomore midfielder Sophia Morgan and junior defender Stephanie Sturgeon, this was Kleiver’s second goal as a Laker in her inaugural season with the team.
“I was able to read the pass from behind, and the defender was not aware I was behind her,” Kleiver said. “I was able to get the ball and put it in the back of the net.”
GVSU was able to maintain the lead heading into the final 10 minutes of play until Huskies’ freshman forward Reilly Lovercheck scored her first career goal in the 80th minute with an assist from junior forward Julia Pietila. Not only was this her first career goal, but she scored it within her first minute of being in the game.
Despite GVSU not getting a results they had hoped for during the game on Oct. 13, the Lakers still remain the only team in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) without an in-conference loss. Among the Lakers final six games in the regular season, four will be at home.
“Playing at home is more familiar. We understand the surface and get to play in front of our fans. Tonight was tough because of the weather, but we still had fans out there. It’s nice getting to sleep in our own beds and get our own locker room. The energy the whole week has been amazing, and we played well because of it,” Lakers’ head coach Katie Hultin said.
Although Hultin felt like the team played well, they are still looking to use their mistakes as motivation going forward.
“Last time we beat them and this time we were upset that we ended up in a tie,” Kleiver said. “We are going to use this as motivation to go into Sunday against Northern (Michigan University). It’s going to be a tough battle.”
GVSU will head back on the road for their last weekend of the season to take on Saginaw Valley State University on Oct. 20 at 1 p.m. and Ferris State University on Oct. 22 at 1 p.m.
