Courtesy of Zach Dirlam, Grand Valley State Sports Information
ALLENDALE, Mich. -- On a day when everything seemed to work against the Grand Valley State women's soccer team, it found a way to conquer yet another form of adversity. A snow-covered pitch made it difficult for the Lakers to play as quickly as they would have liked, but, nevertheless, they overcame the less than favorable conditions and bested Bellarmine 2-0 in the NCAA Midwest Regional Semifinals.
Freshman forward Gabriella Mencotti, who entered the day with just one goal in GVSU's last eight matches, scored both goals.
An early miscue showcased exactly how much of a factor the morning snowfall would have on the match. A turnover in the back line—which was a result of a miscalculation in passing speed—set up a dangerous scoring chance for Bellarmine in the match's opening moments. It turned out to be the most important of senior goalkeeper Andrea Strauss' four saves.
With Mary Beth Gorham charging the goal, Strauss sprinted out of the goal and toward the top of the 18-yard box. A well-timed sliding save sent Gorham's show flying toward midfield.
After it adjusted to how slow the pitch would play, GVSU seized control of the tempo, creating more and more scoring chances as the match wore on.
Mencotti capitalized on one of those opportunities in the 34th minute. Redshirt senior defender Kaely Schlosser lofted a pass into the 18-yard box from roughly 25 yards out, leaving a host of Lakers with a chance to break the tie. Mencotti quickly got the loose ball on her foot and blasted a shot into the corner of the goal.
Nearly 10 minutes after halftime, Mencotti struck again. This time, junior midfielder Katie Klunder set up the Novi, Michigan native. Klunder's initial shot on goal rebounded off Hannah Poteet's hands, leaving the ball loose in front of the six-yard box. Mencotti made sure to put away the point-blank shot.
Those two tallies were all the Lakers would need. The back line yielded a mere four shots on goal, only one of which came after the 52nd minute. GVSU has recorded a clean sheet in seven of its last eight matches.
The victory lifts the Lakers' overall record to 19-2-1 and sends them to their 10th consecutive Midwest Regional Championship.
GVSU will face top-seeded Wisconsin-Parkside, which has not lost a match this season, next Friday (Nov. 21) in Somers, Wis. A starting time for the match has yet to be determined.
