Tech Soccer Prepped to Host Davenport and Grand Valley State
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MICHIGAN TECH VS DAVENPORT MICHIGAN TECH VS GRAND VALLEY STATE |
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| Date |
Friday, September 29, 2023 Sunday, October 1, 2023 |
| Location |
Kearly Stadium (Houghton, Michigan) |
| Video Stream | Friday | Sunday |
| Live Stats | Friday | Sunday |
| GLIAC Soccer | GLIAC Women's Soccer |
| Facebook.com/MichiganTechWomensSoccer | |
| Twitter.com/mtuwsoc | |
| Instagram.com/mtuwsoc | |
HOUGHTON, Mich. – Michigan Tech soccer returns home for the second leg of conference games hosting Davenport on Friday and No. 13 Grand Valley State on Sunday.
The tilt against DU is slated for a 6 p.m. start time, while the Community Day contest versus GVSU is at noon.
About the Panthers
Davenport suffered its first loss of the season over the weekend with a ledger of 4-1-2 overall and 1-1-2 within the GLIAC. The Panthers fell on the road to Parkside 2-1 on Sep. 22 before drawing with Purdue Northwest 0-0 on Sep. 24.
Haley Diekevers was the lone goal scorer for the Panthers over the weekend, coming in the 2-1 loss at Parkside. Davenport held an 8-4 advantage in shots on goal along with 5-4 on corners but was unable to overcome a 2-0 deficit.
The Panthers saw much of the same in its 0-0 draw at Purdue Northwest, seeing Gabriana Bennecke earn the shutout facing no shots on goal.
Bennecke earned GLIAC Defensive Player of the Week honors in the first week of conference play following 180 minutes in the net, recording her fourth shutout of the season against Saginaw Valley in a 1-0 victory for the Panthers and was crucial for the undefeated match against Ferris State where she tallied nine saves - 12 total for the week.
Diekevers leads the Panthers with four goals on the season and tied for second in the conference with 10 points.
Davenport is coached by Joe White in his first season leading the Panthers. In the preseason coaches' poll, Davenport was selected to finish sixth.
About the Lakers
Grand Valley State is in a tie with Michigan Tech at the top of the conference ranks, with a record of 3-0-1 in the loop and 4-1-2 overall. The Lakers have been in the national rankings the past two weeks, most recently landing in the No. 13 position following a weekend sweep at Purdue Northwest (Sep. 22) and Parkside (Sep. 24).
The Lakers scored a season-high six goals in the 6-1 victory at Purdue Northwest. Emma Chudik scored a hat trick to lead GVSU in the game, she also leads the GLIAC with five goals on the season.
Chudik also hit the game-winning goal at Parkside in a contest where the Lakers poured on 32 shots for 14 shots on goal. Defensively, Grand Valley State only faced five shots with one reaching the goal. Goalkeeper Isabel Imes earned the shutout in goal and improved to 3-0-1 on the season.
Chudik earned Offensive Player of the Week honors for her performance over the weekend.
She scored her first career hat trick in a 6-1 win at Purdue Northwest and scored the game-winning goal against Parkside on Sunday. Chudik leads the team and is second in the GLIAC with five goals and ten points on the season.
Katie Hultin is in her second season at the helm of the Lakers. GVSU was tabbed to win the GLIAC in the preseason coaches' poll with six first-place votes.
About the Huskies
Michigan Tech is off to its best start since the 2012 season in a tie for first place in the conference standings with a ledger of 3-0-1 and 4-1-3 overall.
The Huskies most recently had a successful outing on the road with a scoreless draw against Saginaw Valley State (Sep. 22) before a 2-1 win against Ferris State (Sep. 24).
Senior goalkeeper Gracie VanLangevelde earned GLIAC Defensive Player of the Week honors for her performance over the weekend.
The Spring Lake, Michigan, native earned a shutout on Friday at Saginaw Valley State in the 0-0 draw, accounting for five saves. She followed up with two saves on 11 shots from Ferris State to earn the 2-1 victory. She also averaged a 0.50 goals-against average for the weekend.
VanLangevelde ranks third in the conference and 33rd nationally with a 0.545 goals against average, only being bested by Bennecke from Davenport.
The Huskies defense has a lot to do with VanLangevelde's success between the posts. However, the defenders have also been on a scoring tier lately. Cassie Bonifas has accounted for three goals this season, pairing with Emilie Clayton, who has two goals so far.
The duo both accounted for the offense against Ferris State with Bonifas earning an assist off a free kick, which Clayton headed into the back of the net. Later in the contest, Bonifas placed a beautiful free kick over the Bulldogs keeper for the game-winner.
Junior Seulgi Lee leads the Huskies with four goals on the season, ranking third within the conference and 58th nationally.
One Last Thing
Sunday's contest will serve as Community Day, with an invitation for the local soccer clubs (CCSA and HFC) to attend.