With a pair of weekend wins, it appears the Grand Valley State University women’s soccer team has returned to business as usual.

The Lakers (6-1, 3-0 GLIAC) topped Lake Erie College 3-1 on Friday and the University of Findlay 6-0 on Sunday afternoon. GVSU has now won three straight – all GLIAC matchups – after falling to then-No. 7 Minnesota State University 1-0 on Sept. 14.

“It’s really important to get these GLIAC wins,” said GVSU coach Jeff Hosler. “We’ve been pretty banged up but recently we have that next man up mentality… These places we played on the road are difficult places to play.”

No. 4 GVSU played like a top-ranked team on Friday, dominating the flow of the game from start to finish. The Lakers ripped off 17 shots in their 3-1 win, though the goals didn’t come with ease.

The first half came and went without a score from either side, but GVSU broke through two minutes into the second half. Standout freshman Gabriella Mencotti notched her first goal of the match off a through ball from senior defender Alyssa Wesley.

The next scoring chance of the game came from Lake Erie. The home team was awarded a penalty kick in the 48th minute, but senior goalkeeper Andrea Strauss came up with a save to keep the momentum flowing for the Lakers. Less than a minute after the save, Mencotti knocked home her second of the game to put GVSU up 2-0.

“It was really exciting, especially in the second half when it was 0-0, and I knew I had to finish it,” Mencotti said. “The second one was so reassuring.”

Soon after, the Lakers wove together a gorgeous display of teamwork, as senior midfielder Charlie Socia found the back of the net from 19 yards for her second goal of the season.

Lake Erie’s Grace Ferut slipped a shot past Strauss in the 80th minute, but it was much too late to make a difference as GVSU won its 25th consecutive GLIAC contest easily.

Domination was the name of the game from start to finish on Sunday afternoon, as the Lakers routed Findlay 6-0. The goals came in droves for GVSU – and from all around – as six different Lakers found the back of the net.

“Our mindset was good today,” said junior midfielder Katie Klunder. “We came out really strong… We were organized and prepared and energetic.”

Klunder opened the scoring early as Gabbie Guibord and Mencotti notched the helpers. Marti Corby and Katie Bounds found the back of the net quickly in succession, putting GVSU up 3-0 within the first 21 minutes of the match.

“The stat sheet shows a little bit of the story today,” Hosler said. “We have a dynamic attack when we play with a sense of urgency, and I think we did that today.

“It might have been our most complete match for the duration of the 90 minutes.”

Five minutes into the second half, Mencotti went top corner to beat Findlay goaltender Samantha Trimboli and the rout was on. Jenny Shaba and Kendra Stauffer added goals in the 61st and 85th minutes, respectively, as GVSU finished a five-game road stretch with a 4-1 record.

The Lakers return to action with their first home game in nearly a month as they host the University of Indianapolis Wednesday at 5 p.m.