Saginaw Valley State & Grand Valley State Advance to GLIAC Women's Soccer Tournament Championship Match

Allendale, Mich. - Top-seeded Grand Valley State University and second-seeded Saginaw Valley State University each advanced to the championship match of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Women's Soccer tournament.

In the first semifinal match of the afternoon, Saginaw Valley State defeated the No. 3 seed, Tiffin University, 1-0. Grand Valley State downed fourth-seeded Northern Michigan University, 9-1, in the second semifinal match.  Saginaw Valley State and Grand Valley State will square off in the tournament's championship match on Sunday at 1:00 p.m.

Below are recaps on each match:

Saginaw Valley State 1, Tiffin 0 (Recap courtesy of the Saginaw Valley State University Sports Information Department)

Allendale, Mich. –The Saginaw Valley State University women's soccer team defeated Tiffin University today (Nov. 6) in GLIAC semifinal play, 1-0.

In a tight defensive battle, SVSU managed the only goal of the game at the 69:54 mark on a goal by Cassidy Lay (Monroe, Mich.) off a great feed from senior forward Jaclyn Barrett (Williamston, Mich.). This was Lay's third goal of the season and second game-winning goal. In the victory, the Cardinals out-shot the Dragons 11-4. Sophomore goalkeeper Anne Berschbach (Algonac, Mich.) recorded her ninth shutout of the season.

With the victory, the Cardinals move to 14-2-2 overall on the season and have secured a spot in the 2009 GLIAC Women's Soccer Championship Match Sunday (Nov. 8) against the winner of Northern Michigan University and Grand Valley State University. This is the second consecutive season the Cardinals have advanced to the GLIAC title match.

Grand Valley State 9, Northern Michigan 1 (Recap courtesy of Grand Valley State University Sports Information Department)

Allendale, Mich. - Jaleen Dingledine and Erin Hilbert scored twice to help Grand Valley State defeat Northern Michigan 9-1 on Friday (Nov. 6) afternoon. The No. 3 Lakers advance to the GLIAC Championship match against Saginaw Valley State at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 9.

The Lakers started the scoring early when sophomore Erin Mruz found freshman Ashley Botts, where she crossed it over to Katie Johnson. Johnson placed the ball into the right side of the net, recording her fourth goal of the season. Just six minutes later at 7:12, senior defender Natalja Stanski lofted the ball over the defense, where Botts knocked it in for her team-high 13th goal, giving the Lakers a 2-0 lead.

Jaleen Dingledine scored back-to-back goals at the 8:33 mark and at 20:37, giving GVSU a 4-0 lead. Grand Valley State scored two more goals in the first half, giving them a 6-1 lead at halftime. Northern Michigan got on the scoreboard after a GVSU foul. Emily Lockery scored off of a penalty kick at 44:43. GVSU outshot the Wildcats 10-6 in the first half and placed eight shots on goal.

During the second half GVSU freshman forward Maria Brown rebounded a missed shot, then placed it in the bottom right corner. Nine minutes later at 79:04, sophomore Lindsey Marlow came down the right side, then cut into the middle and placed the ball in the back of the net, giving the Lakers an 8-1 lead. GVSU scored once more at 82:07 when Hilbert recorded her second goal of the match, her 11th of the season. Hilbert knocked it in from eight yards out, giving the Lakers a 9-1 win.

GVSU (18-0-2, 13-0-1 GLIAC) outshot the Wildcats 20-6, including a 14-5 advantage in shots on goal. Goalkeeper Chelsea Parise notched four saves in the match and picked up her 18th win on the year.