Holland Reporter

The Grand Valley State women's soccer team is set to face McKendree in the first round of the NCAA tournament. The match will take place on Friday, November 17, in Marquette, Michigan, starting at 10:00 PM.

GVSU enters the tournament as the third seed in the Midwest Region and will play against sixth-seeded McKendree. The winner of this match will move on to the second round to compete against either Northern Michigan or Maryville. This marks GVSU's 20th consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tournament, where they hold a record of 60-12 and have claimed seven national championships.

The Lakers have a current season record of 11-3-6 and finished second in their conference with an 8-1-5 standing. They have scored 30 goals while allowing only 14 and have significantly outshot their opponents with a total of 331 shots compared to their opponents' 151.

Key players for GVSU include sophomore Kacy Lauer and senior Taylor Reid, both leading with 11 points each. Lauer has four goals including one game-winning goal, while Reid also has four goals with two being decisive for victories. Junior Emma Chudik stands out as well with five goals this season, including her first career hat trick at Purdue Northwest.

McKendree enters with a strong record of 16-1-3 after winning the GLVC Tournament by defeating Lewis 1-0. They are currently on a ten-game winning streak and have remained unbeaten for fifteen games straight.

Leading McKendree is senior forward Anna Stiffler who has tallied twelve goals and three assists over twenty games, securing eight game-winning goals. Senior midfielder Katie Spotanski follows with seven goals and four assists. Junior forward Lena Higgins contributes seven assists along with three goals. In goal, senior Abby Tucker has maintained a record of 15-1-3 across all twenty games played.

The match between GVSU Lakers and McKendree Bearcats will be held at Northern Michigan's campus and can be viewed live on the NCAA website. Fans can visit gvsulakers.com for live streaming links or follow @GVSUSoccer on social media for updates throughout the tournament.