The Grand Valley State University (GVSU) women's lacrosse team is set to compete in the regional semifinals for the third consecutive year. They will face Regis University, also for the third time in a row, on Thursday at 4:00 PM EST at Maryville University in St. Louis.
In previous matchups, GVSU emerged victorious against Regis. In 2022, they secured a narrow 12-11 win with a decisive goal in the last 43 seconds. The following year, they defeated top-seeded Regis with a score of 15-11, where Hailey Crittenden scored four goals and both Maddy Champagne and Sydney Stone achieved hat tricks. Sarah Krause contributed significantly with ten saves.
The Lakers enter this year's NCAA Tournament on a strong note, boasting a 13-game winning streak and having won both the GLIAC regular season and tournament titles. In their recent championship game against Northern Michigan, they won decisively with a score of 13-3. Key players included Champagne and Stone who each scored four goals, while Ashleigh Rothe added two more.
Regis also enters the tournament with momentum from winning 14 consecutive games and achieving an unbeaten record in RMAC play to claim both regular season and tournament titles. They hold an impressive overall record of 18-1. Key players include Bailey Treux and Elizabeth Myotte who have received honors as RMAC Midfielder of the Year and Goalkeeper of the Year respectively.
This matchup promises to be competitive as both teams excel in draw control units and scoring defense nationally. Regis wins approximately 66% of their draws while GVSU follows closely at 65.5%. Defensively, GVSU leads by allowing just 4.50 goals per game compared to Regis's average of seven goals per contest.
Fans can follow Thursday's game through live stats and video coverage available online for updates throughout the match.