North Michigan News

The NMU lacrosse team faced a setback in the GLIAC Championship match, losing to Grand Valley State 15-9. This match marked the third consecutive season where the Wildcats fell to the Lakers in the conference championship, which took place in Allendale, Michigan. The Wildcats (11-8, 4-4 GLIAC) had previously secured a win over Concordia-St. Paul in the semifinals before meeting Grand Valley (15-3, 8-0 GLIAC) in the finals.

Grand Valley State continues their dominance, having claimed five-straight GLIAC postseason titles and their ninth championship in 13 seasons. The match was initially competitive, with both teams tied at 4-4 after the first quarter. The Wildcats managed to keep the game close, trailing by only two goals heading into the final quarter. However, a burst of six goals by the Lakers in the last frame put the game beyond the Wildcats’ reach.

The Wildcats were buoyed by performances from All-GLIAC First Team selections Katelyn Wozney, who contributed three goals, and Josie Lakosky, who added two goals. Emily Radke also netted two goals, marking solid performances, while Maddi Bast and Laine Stanton each found the net once. Hannah Jabas registered the only assist for the Wildcats. Wozney achieved her first career hat-trick in this game, and Lakosky concluded her season with 91 points, second in goals and points for a single season in the program's history.

In goal, Lauren Esposito played the entirety of the match, making 10 saves from 30 shots faced. Defensive contributions were notable from Sophie Langsdale, Natalie Thomas, and Norah Bates.

The game statistics revealed evenly matched performances in ground balls (16 each) and turnovers (14 each), although the Lakers had an advantage in draw controls with a tally of 18-10. Ella Boose and Ashleigh Rothe led the Lakers offensively. In goal, Sarah Krause, named GLIAC Goalkeeper of the Year, came in to replace Kaylyn Cater during the match, making five saves in the process.

The match began with Bast scoring the first goal for the Wildcats. Lakosky then tied the game at two, and late-quarter goals from Lakosky and Radke leveled the score at four each. Despite efforts in the second and third quarters to catch up, the Wildcats could not overcome the Lakers' successive goals in the final frame, resulting in the final 15-9 scoreline.