Courtesy of Kevin Meyer - GVSU Athletic Communications Assistant
ALLENDALE, Mich.— On an otherwise drab, cold and windy day at the GVSU Soccer Field on Sunday, the Laker's star power shone brightly throughout their 3-1 win over #3 University of Central Missouri in the NCAA Division II Quarterfinal. That win earns the Lakers one of four Final Four berths to perform in Kansas City, Missouri on December 1st at the 2016 NCAA Semifinals.
Three Laker stars, Marti Corby, Jayma Martin and junior Gabriella Mencotti filled the stat sheet with a goal and an assist each, as the Lakers outperformed the third ranked Jennies in every facet of the game from the onset. Mencotti's goal increased her nation-leading tally to 29 on the season, already the third highest single season mark for goals by a Laker (Katy Tafler, 2006-07).
The Lakers did a good job of controlling possession in the game, which lead to a larger number of offensive chances. The Lakers forced a trio of early saves by Jennies goalkeeper Ana Dilkes in the 6th, 10th and 13th minute of play, and several more Laker shots would go wide or high of goal leading up to the 24th minute of play, as the Lakers controlled the early tempo of the game while it was still scoreless.
"We talked in the last 24 hours about how the team that possessed the ball would have a major advantage, with both of us playing a very similar possession based style", said GVSU head coach Jeff Hosler. When a team plays possession style, they don't want to chase the game, they want to be on the ball and use that possession to their advantage. I thought we did a better job of it than they did, and that showed in the first half.
In the 24th minute, Corby ended the tie by scoring a goal on what was intended as a cross into the goal box. With a little help from the wind, Corby's cross towards her waiting teammates from the left side of goal tucked into the far post, bouncing off and into the goal for the game's first goal, and her 10th of the season.
"It was a great pass by Madz from the outside back position" said Corby. "She had good vision to find me forward, I cut my defender like Jeff had told us we could, and then I knew if I floated a ball to the far post then Tara (Lierman) and Gabriella would be there, and I got a lucky break with the wind and it pulled it into the back of the net. It was a positive lift for the team, really settled us down and calmed the nerves."
That sort of play is nothing new for Marti Corby, who was the heroine for the club just the other night by providing two goals, one of which was the game-winning goal.
"Marti wants to win", said Hosler. "Marti is going to give her best effort every time, she's an intelligent player and she recognizes what the other team is giving her and she's going to take it. If they're going to give her space, then she'll use it to finish like she has in the past two games, and if they try to press her she's going to roll them or try to combine and put players in dangerous spots. The way she's playing right now is going to make it very difficult for teams to remain balanced in their defensive approach, and we're going to need that in Kansas City. "
Not content to rest on their laurels, the Lakers kept up the offensive pressure and were rewarded just three minutes later, as Jayma Martin drove to the baseline to the left of the Jennies goal, then flicked a pass backwards to a waiting Mencotti, who beat a diving Dilkes with the left-footed finish from 12 yards out for a 2-0 lead.
" I felt like we did a really good job keeping the ball and moving it through the midfielder to the outside, it made it a lot easier for me to take players on", said Martin. "It made our attack a lot easier the way we kept the ball. It's very satisfying to put up three goals on a really good team, so that was really big for us."
The Lakers would take a 2-0 lead into the halftime break, as Martin's goal provided a crucial buffer to a team that was already having trouble making passes at the Laker goal. Just three minutes in the second half, however, Martin was on the receiving end of a combo from Corby and Mencotti to lift a shot high into the net over a charging Dilkes for the Laker's third goal of the game in the 48th minute.
"I think probably the biggest goal of the game was the third, in the second half", Hosler said. "In recent games we haven't been at our best to close out games, and to finish early with Jayma being involved in the stat line, I think he was rewarded for her excellent performance today."
In the 65th minute of play, the Jennies would put an end to any premature celebrating inside the soccer complex, as Hannah Pyle fired off a shot form 30 yards out that coasted right over the outstretch hands of a backpedaling Jennifer Steinaway to get the Jennies on the scoreboard. The goal was Pyle's 12th of the season and second in as any games, as she scored the lone goal against Fort Hays State on Friday as well. Despite surrendering just their sixth goal of the season, the Lakers defense did a good job overall in limiting the Jennies-including 16 goal scorer Jada Scott- in check in the game.
"We knew that they were going to be good skill players, so staying focused when they are coming at you fast, and good communication on the back line was really important for us.", said GVSU defender Mackenzie Fox. "It takes a lot of individual performance and focus, as well as communication from the center backs to prevent them from doing anything fancy to get past us and penetrate."
After scoring their first goal of the game, the Jennies utilized the momentum to dominate possession in the Laker's half of the field for a significant portion of the remaining time. However the Laker defense held strong, with defenders blocking six of the final UCM shots and Steinaway saving the other two. The game was far form perfect for the Lakers, but represented both increased efficiency and decision-making on offense as well as organized communication and group play on the defensive end.
"I think it was a more complete game than the last two times out, we're still chasing that full 90 minute effort", said Hosler. "At this point, every step of the way in the tournament results in the team we face getting a little better, and so we've got to continue to get better in these next two weeks, and we're still seeing and striving for that full 90 minute effort."
With the victory, the Lakers advance to face the fifth ranked team in the nation, the Columbus State Cougars, in the upcoming NCAA Semifinal. The two teams have recent history, as the Lakers shut out the Cougars 2-0 in the 2015 NCAA Division II National Championship. That game, as well as the other semifinal between #18 Kuztown University and #1 Western Washington University, will take place on December 1st in Kansas City, Missouri.
