Holland Reporter

The Grand Valley State University (GVSU) women's soccer team is set to face Drury in the NCAA Midwest Regional Championship. The match will take place at 1:00 PM on Sunday, December 1, at the GVSU Soccer Field.

GVSU has secured a spot in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament for the 19th consecutive season. The Lakers, ranked third in the Midwest Region, advanced after victories against Missouri – St. Louis and Maryville last weekend in St. Louis, Missouri. Freshman Kendall Aikens scored her third goal of the season to secure a win over Missouri – St. Louis with a score of 2-0. Senior Kennedy Bearden netted her fourth goal of the season in a narrow 1-0 victory against Maryville.

A pivotal moment came from goalkeeper Cailynn Junk during the Maryville game when she saved a penalty kick with only 20 seconds remaining, ensuring GVSU's advancement to the Sweet 16.

Several GVSU players have been recognized for their performances this season. Senior Ryann Fetty was named to the D2CCA Midwest All-Region first team with three goals and four assists totaling ten points. Defenders Kacy Lauer and Daan Louwerse earned second-team honors, having led the Lakers in minutes played and received All-GLIAC selections. Goalkeeper Cailynn Junk also made it to the second team All-Region with eleven individual shutouts across twenty-one games.

Drury enters this matchup ranked fifth in the Midwest Region following victories over Northern Michigan and top-seeded Ashland during their first and second rounds held in Ashland, Ohio. Drury improved their record to 16-2-4 this season while outscoring opponents by an impressive margin of 48-11.

Junior Holland Hawkins leads Drury's offense with eleven goals contributing to twenty-two points this season, including three game-winning goals. Kourtney Tucker follows closely behind with six goals and four assists for sixteen points overall. Andrea Camargo stands out defensively as an all-region selection leading her team in minutes played, while goalkeeper Katy Fitzler leads nationally with fourteen shutouts just one short of breaking Drury’s program record.

Fans can watch Sunday's game live on FloSports free of charge or visit gvsulakers.com for links providing live stats alongside video coverage updates available via @GVSUSoccer on Twitter.