Headline: Not 5, not 6, not 7

Subhead: GVSU clinches 8th straight GLIAC Tournament championship

By: Adam Knorr

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On Oct. 17, Ohio Dominican University topped Grand Valley State University 1-0 in Allendale. The two squads ran the table the rest of the way, finishing in a tie for first place.

With the head-to-head win, No. 23 ODU earned the number-one seed in the GLIAC Tournament. For a moment, it seemed as though No. 11 GVSU was teetering atop its roost on top of the conference.

On Sunday, the teams met again in the GLIAC Tournament championship game. GVSU, the reigning national champion, won 2-1 to reestablish its dominance atop the GLIAC and win its eighth consecutive conference tournament.

“We played really well in the first 45 minutes,” said GVSU head coach Jeff Hosler. “In the second half we played really hard too. It was a difficult environment to play in and a rowdy crowd. Our composure was certainly tested today.”

The first half proved to be the Katie Bounds show for GVSU. The super-sub opened the scoring in the 30th minute thanks to a well-executed set piece from senior defender Kaely Schlosser. Schlosser started the play with a free-kick through ball to Marti Corby. Corby dished off to Bounds, who touched it past ODU goalkeeper Laura Clark and into the net.

Less than eight minutes later, Bounds struck again. The speedster took a blast from just above the box, rifling a shot into the top shelf for her second tally of the game.

ODU wouldn’t quit. The Panthers kept pushing, and, with 15 minutes to go in the match, the pressure paid off. GLIAC Freshman of the Year Ashley Blake – a forward with Bounds-like speed – scored a Bounds-like goal. Blake picked out the top, beating Laker netminder Andrea Strauss to cut GVSU’s lead in half.

ODU’s sense of urgency heightened, and the crowd picked up on it. The last 15 minutes were played with the utmost intensity, but GVSU’s experienced defense kept its composure and kept ODU off the scoreboard for the duration.

“We played the whole game with a chip on our shoulder,” Bounds said. “We played really hard the last 15 minutes.”

Three yellow cards were handed out in a span of six minutes near the end of the game. ODU’s Broegan Sautter and Jordan Mazzi were both booked, in addition to GVSU’s Gabbie Guibord.

Hosler chalked it up to aggression and a desire to win from both sides, noting that the bookings came as a result of late-game, hard-nosed play.

With the win, GVSU improved to a near-perfect 18-0-1 in GLIAC Tournament play. The victory also gave the Lakers their eight consecutive GLIAC Tournament title, effectively squelching any doubts about their conference supremacy.

“I know I was (hoping to play ODU again),” Strauss said. “I heard some girls make that comment too, wanting to play them again and get revenge. Last time didn’t leave everybody with the best feeling – we wanted to show them that GVSU is still here.

“We wanted to make a statement that we were the better team, especially on their field.”

GVSU outshot ODU 12-7, putting just four on target to the Panthers’ three. Strauss and Clark each made two saves – one of Strauss’s coming in the waning minutes of the second half.

The Lakers earned an automatic qualifying bid to the NCAA Tournament by winning the GLIAC Tournament.

GVSU will learn its opponent and game location during Monday’s selection show, which takes place at 7 p.m.