Tech Soccer Falls to No. 6 Grand Valley State on Friday Night
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
#6 Grand Valley State (9-1-2, 7-0-1) | 0 | 2 | 2 |
|
Michigan Tech (3-6-3, 1-4-3) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
HOUGHTON, Mich. – The Michigan Tech soccer team fell 2-0 to No. 6 Grand Valley State in front of a record-setting 758 fans at Kearly Stadium on Friday night.
The matchup was the third consecutive top-25 opponent the Huskies have faced, most recently tying with then No. 22 Northern Michigan (Sept. 25) and losing 1-0 to No. 7 Grand Valley State (Sept. 25).
"They are defending national champions and are on a hot streak right now," head coach Bulut Ozturk said. "Our women fought hard the entire match, there is always the belief and that collective defending.
"We felt like we had a 12th man with the pep band coming out and there was a lot of love and support from the community and its great for our women to feel that love and get that kind of support and they were a little disappointed to not give them the result for the fans but we left it all out and as a coach that's all you can ask for."
The Lakers (9-1-2, 7-0-1 GLIAC) held an advantage in shots and corner kicks, firing fire shots with two landing on target to go with three corner kicks.
However, the Huskies (3-6-3, 1-4-3 GLIAC) stellar defensive efforts kept MTU in the game through the first 45 minutes, with multiple free kicks and corner kicks being safely moved away from the Black & Gold's goal.
After heading into halftime scoreless, the Lakers came out of halftime with more physical offensive play.
Grand Valley State posted three shots, with one landing on target before getting passed the Huskies goalkeeper in the 57th minute. Sophia Morgan kindled the offense, crossing the ball from the right side finding Mackenzie Jones on the left side of the box to punch the ball in.
The Lakers tallied four more shots before capitalizing on a defensive lapse from the Huskies in the 89th minute, posting the second goal of the match, coming from Taylor Reid to ensure the victory.
The best chance offensively for the Black & Gold came two minutes after freshman Alyvia Sanom checked into the game, heading a cross from the right side that was too high to find the back of the net, but brought the crowd excitement with the effort.
Of note, Grand Valley State had 14 shots, with six shots on goal, while also holding command in corner kicks with 11 for the game.
Senior goalkeeper Gracie VanLangevelde finished with six saves in net for MTU.
The Huskies return to action on Sunday, welcoming Davenport to Kearly Stadium at noon.
