Aug. 31, 2008

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Allendale, Mich. - Grand Valley State University used strong defense and an offensive burst in the second half to sail past Southern Indiana 5-0 on Sunday. The No. 3 Lakers allowed just one shot on goal and Irie Dennis scored her second goal of the year and added two assists to lead GVSU. The Lakers (2-0-0) will now go on the road to take on Quincy (Ill.) on Sept. 5.

Dennis and the Lakers came out shooting and the junior forward scored her second goal of the season just 1:26 into the match. The goal was reminiscient of her marker against Tampa on Friday. With the ball around the penalty kick mark, Dennis made a move and put a shot off the left post and into the back of the net. The rest of the first half was closer, as neither team scored for the remaining 43:34. Kristina Nasturzio recorded a save in the first half, her only save in 75:12 of action. Sam DeNio replaced her and played the final 14:48.

GVSU only outshot USI 9-4 in the first half, but the offense turned it up a notch in the second period. Through the course of the second half, the Lakers took a total of 21 shots, putting 12 of them on goal. Four Lakers scored their first goals of the season in the half, led by Ashley Elsass in the 60th minute, who corralled a cross from Dennis and put it to the right side of the net, past Screaming Eagles' goalkeeper Stephanie Bodamer. Caitlin Boyak notched her first goal as a Laker after she headed an Erin Mruz corner kick into the net at the 63:32 mark. The 2006 and 2007 Daktronics Division II Player of the Year, Katy Tafler, scored her first goal of the young season just 44 seconds later when she headed home a cross from Dennis. Mruz finished the scoring at the 75:43 with her first career goal. She took a shot from outside the 18-yard box that deflected off a USI defender and into the net.

The Lakers finished the game out-shooting the Screaming Eagles 30-4 with 17 shots on goal to USI's just one. Bodamer finished the match with 11 saves, while Nasturzio needed just one. The only caution of the match came in the 45th minute when Jenna Keusch was shown the yellow for a hard tackle.