Courtesy of Jake Levy, GVSU Director of Communications & Broadcasting
ALLENDALE, Mich. -- The No. 4 Grand Valley State Lakers played one of their most complete matches of the season en route to a 4-0 win over the Ohio Dominican Panthers Sunday afternoon at the GVSU Soccer Field. The Lakers advance to the NCAA Tournament Midwest Region finals and, for the second time in as many years, end the season for Ohio Dominican. Gabriella Mencotti had two goals while freshmen Ava Cook and Cecilia Steinwascher contributed brilliant finishes to help the cause. The Lakers, who had a first-round bye in the national tournament, have outscored the opposition 20-0 so far this post-season.
The Lakers (19-3-0) took the lead when Cook crossed up a defender at the top of the box from the left side then perfectly curled an aerial strike into the far side netting. The 12' tally was the 12th goal of the season for the GLIAC Freshman of the Year and would prove to be the game-winner. Mencotti dazzled in her own right in the 28', collecting the ball near midfield and charging on a defender for 20 yards before lofting a shot over the keeper and under the crossbar for a highlight reel finish that doubled the Lakers lead, a 2-0 mark GVSU would carry into intermission.
"We played a really thorough match today," said head coach Jeff Hosler. "It was really refreshing to see us play a full 90 minutes. We haven't gotten off to quick starts lately, but to jump all over possession and get the goal early I think was really important today."
The Panthers (16-5-2) entered Sunday averaging 2.55 goals per game and had already set a program record for wins in a season, but the Lakers dominated possession and held the Panthers to just seven shots, three of which were on target, as Grand Valley State posted their fourth straight post-season shutout.
"Really it was possession. The more we possessed, the deeper they had to come," said Hosler. "And I thought our ball-winning was fantastic, our midfielders were excellent in that regard. Ohio Dominican takes a lot of pride in winning balls but GiGi (Gianna Parlove) and Tara (Tara Lierman), players that aren't traditionally ball-winners, were getting the job done and we really dictated the tempo and that was important."
One player that stood out was GLIAC Defensive Player of the Year Dani Johnson, who was tasked with marking the Panthers leading goal scorer, Lauren Bates, and Johnson held Bates without a shot in what would prove to be her final collegiate match.
"Dani is as critical as it comes to our success. She really battled Bates, a kid 6-8 inches taller than her, but Dani really had her way all match and that was huge for us."
Mencotti scored right out of the gate in the second half to put a stranglehold on the match, turning a rolling pass from Tracey McCoy in the left wing goal-ward for a near-post finish. Steinwascher capped off the scoring at the hour mark when she curled a corner kick off the far post and into the net for her fourth goal of the year. Mencotti, who had 29 goals in 2016 as the Division II Player fo the Year, now has 28 goals and 65 points this season.
Due to alternating schedules, the central region will host the next two rounds, sending the Lakers to top-seed Central Missouri for the Midwest Regional final. Grand Valley State will face Quincy on a neutral field for the right to face the central region's champion in an Elite Eight matchup next Sunday (Nov. 19). Stay tuned to GVSULakers.com and Laker soccer social media for schedule updates as they become available.