Good things certainly came in threes for the Grand Valley State women's soccer team on Wednesday (Oct. 15) night. Freshman forward Gabriella Mencotti scored three times, while sophomore midfielder Marti Corby dished out a trio of assists—two came on set pieces—as the No. 3 Lakers easily dispatched of Ferris State in a 7-2 rout.
 
One thing head coach Jeff Hosler wanted GVSU to focus on this week was efficiency. The club did not let him down. Of the 29 shots the Lakers attempted, 19 were on target and seven crossed the goal line.

"(We were) much more efficient, much more opportunistic and just had better execution. We delivered better finals balls, players were in the right spot and they were prepared to finish," said Hosler. "We talked a lot yesterday and today about making the most of our first chances, and playing that opportunity like it is the only one you'll get; we did a far better job of that today throughout the match."
 
It did not take long for GVSU's offense to get rolling either.
 
A little over eight minutes into the match, Mencotti fed a through ball to senior forward Jenny Shaba, who came streaking into the 18-yard box and drove home a routine finish.
 
The first of Corby's three assists came only one minute and 56 seconds later. The Ada, Michigan native sent a long pass through the air, carrying it past Ferris State's defenders and just out in front of Mencotti. All alone with only Bulldog goalkeeper Savanna Wojtanowski to beat, the Northville High School alum notched her first goal of the evening.
 
Following a Ferris State foul in the 24^th minute, Corby lined a serve from roughly 25 yards out, getting just enough air under it for sophomore defender Clare Carlson to re-direct it past Wojtanowski.
 
Riley Wood's tally off a corner kick—the first goal GVSU allowed in a home match since Nov. 18, 2012—late in the first half briefly quieted the strong crowd on hand, but it would not be long before they could resume cheering. A corner kick in the 53^rd minute brought the home fans to their feet for a fourth time. Corby floated a perfect service to the far post, where Mencotti headed it home for her second goal of the match.
 
Senior midfielder Charlie Socia's goal in the 61^st minute became just the first of three in a three-minute stretch. An awkward-angle blast into the upper 90 by Shaba extended the run in the 62^nd minute. Mencotti capped the three-goal outburst in the 63^rd minute as she put back Shaba's rebounded shot.
 
Shaba ended up with six points (two goals, two assists), Mencotti totaled a career-high seven points (three goals, one assist) and Corby's three assists earned her three points.

"The way they defended us today was different than we've seen. They almost went man for man, giving our forwards space and opportunities to get in behind," said Hosler. "Gabriella (Mencotti) and (Jenny) Shaba both did a very good job of reading their runs and creating space for each other, often with one almost decoying for someone else to run into the space we wanted to get into, which gave them both one-on-one opportunities to go at goal.

"Marti (Corby) was really good on set pieces, which is important to see, because she hasn't been as effective or precise as she should be. But the delivery on the free kick in the first half was perfect, as was the assist on her corner kick in the second half."
 
Moreover, with the outcome in hand relatively early, Hosler was able to play every Laker at his disposal tonight for at least 14 minutes.

"A goal for us today was to give everyone the opportunity (to play)," said Hosler. "It was nice to get our bench a lot of minutes today."
 
The non-conference victory brings GVSU's overall record to 12-1-0, extending its winning streak to nine matches. The Lakers resume GLIAC play Friday (Oct. 17) night against Ohio Dominican. Kick off is set for 7 p.m. at the GVSU Soccer Field.

Notes:
-GVSU has won or tied each of its last 69 home matches, matching The College of New Jersey for the fifth-longest streak across all NCAA divisions
-With their five-goal win tonight, the Lakers have beaten Ferris State by three or more goals 17 times and have won the last 22 matches in the series
-Gabriella Mencotti's hat trick was the first of her collegiate career, and the second by a GVSU player this season—Marti Corby recorded the other three-goal effort in a 3-2 win at Ferris State earlier this year
-Marti Corby joined Jenny Shaba as one of only four players with two three-assist matches since 2003—her first three-assist performance came in last season's NCAA Semifinal victory over No. 12 American International
-For the fourth time this season, Jenny Shaba tallied at least one goal and one assist in a match
-With her two goals and two assists tonight, Shaba passed Maria Brown for the 10th-most goals (28) and usurped Jenny Swalec and Kayla Addison for the eighth-most assists (27) in GVSU history
-Tonight marked the fifth time this season the Lakers scored five or more goals in a match