Nov. 20, 2005

Box Score

Omaha, Neb. - Grand Valley allowed a goal in the first five minutes of each half and was unable to rebound, falling 2-0 to Nebraska-Omaha in the NCAA Quarterfinals. Freshman Kristina Nasturzio turned away five Maverick shots on the day. The Lakers finish the season with a school-best 19-3 record.

Nebraska-Omaha tallied their first goal at the 2:59 mark when freshman forward Amanda Iwansky beat Nasturzio on a shot from the top of the box. The Lakers and Mavericks battled throughout the next 42 minutes as the Mavericks only managed only two more shots. The Lakers missed a few opportunities near the end of the first half, including a shot by senior Mirela Tutundzic that missed wide right. Senior Jaci Lange headed the ball from the left side of the box to Tutundzic, who pushed the ball right of the goal. GVSU made a late run at the end of the half with less than two minutes remaining but were unable to sneak one past the Maverick keeper.

Iwansky opened up the second half with her sixth goal of the postseason at the 50 minute mark to up the lead to 2-0. The Lakers had a number of runs stalled due to offsides calls in the second half. A crowd of 427 watched the two teams do battle in temperatures that reached 35 degrees, including winds that reached 10 mph. UNO advances to the final four and will face Franklin-Pierce.

The Lakers finish the season with a school-best 19-3 record, in a season which saw GVSU's first-ever GLIAC Championship and first-ever Great Lakes Region Championship. Grand Valley will return eight starters for the 2006 season, including GLIAC Freshman of the Year Katy Tafler. The Lakers lose the services of the school's all-time leading scorers in forward Mirela Tutundzic (75 goals, 34 assists, 184 points) and midfielder Jenny Swalec (37 goals, 26 assists, 100 points). Grand Valley also will miss GLIAC Defender of the Year Kate Duda as well as reserves Jenny Junga and Jaci Lange.