Courtesy of Zach Dirlam, Grand Valley State Sports Information
Somers, Wis. -- Speed can separate good women's soccer teams from great ones. Holding that advantage at nearly every position, Grand Valley State created mismatch after mismatch, dangerous run after dangerous run, and shot after shot in its 3-1 victory over unbeaten No. 10 Central Missouri in the NCAA Quarterfinals.
Right from the outset, the No. 11 Lakers' speediness between midfield and goal line was too much for the Jennies. There was no slowing them down either. GVSU piled up 20 shots and sent countless services across the 18-yard box throughout the match's 90 minutes. UCM never mustered an answer, spending the majority of its afternoon chasing the Lakers.
After seeing a few early runs turned away by the Jennies, GVSU continued to amplify its pressure. Everything was challenged. Every 50-50 ball seemed to find the head of a Laker. Every pass got closer and closer to the goal mouth.
It was only a matter of time before GVSU would break the game open. At the 18:11 mark, senior forward Jenny Shaba did exactly that.
As senior defender Juane Odendaal—a former Canadian high school track and cross country runner—streaked up the near sideline, Shaba sprinted into the 18-yard box. A soft, high service from Odendaal was headed out of the box, but sophomore forward Kendra Stauffer quickly floated a ball back into traffic. Shaba's initial shot was blocked, bringing the rebound right back at her feet. Without any hesitation, she drove it home.
The next 20 minutes were not any different. GVSU continued to run down every loose ball and go at goal every chance it had. This led to more threatening crosses and through balls inside the 18-yard box. And, eventually, a penalty kick for freshman forward Gabriella Mencotti.
For the third time this season, Mencotti blasted the uncontested 12-yard attempt into the goal. It was her 16th goal of the season, a figure that leads all GVSU players.
For Shaba, it must have been the shoes (she sported brand-new cleats for today's match), because nearly every one of her touches turned into a scoring opportunity. Another run, this one sparked by Mencotti, resulted in her second goal of the day.
With only the keeper to beat, Shaba needed just two touches inside the 18-yard box to send her 10th tally of the season into the upper 90.
A UCM goal at the 76:59 mark would be nothing more than window dressing. From there on out, the Laker defense kept everything in front of them, cementing GVSU's sixth consecutive trip to the NCAA Semifinals—now the longest streak in Division II history since the tournament expanded to at least 24 teams in 2001.
The Lakers, who defeated two previously unbeaten teams to qualify for the Final Four, will square off with No. 6 Saint Rose in the NCAA Semifinals. All of the Final Four matches will be played at Bellarmine University in Louisville, Kentucky on Dec. 4-6.
