On Friday, Nov. 1, women’s soccer played against Ferris State. They won 4-1, which makes a comfortable spot for the Cardinals at top 5 in the GLIAC.
Tyler Channell, the head coach, spoke about the game. “That was our first game this season where we were down a half and we came back in and got the victory,” he remarked.
SVSU stats reflect progress (6-5-4, 4-3,4 GLIAC) compared to Ferris State (6-5-4, 5-4-2) who were third in the nation for a long time.
The Cardinals struggled to gain their footing in the first half, with Ferris intercepting all crosses and throws from the Cardinals.
Katherine Welch from Ferris State managed to find a loose ball and shot. The ball got past Lainey Gabarzz, the goalkeeper for the Cardinals, and resulted as the only goal of the game for Ferris State.
Madi Bajis equalized the game for SVSU in the second half as she launched the ball into the top right corner.
“I had the wind on my back, and knew that I had to keep the ball away from the tall goalie,” Bajis said, “I visualized the ball going into the top right, took a few deep breaths and made the shot.”
Channel commented on her performance. “She has great technical ability, extremely good composure so I knew a moment like that wouldn’t be too big for her,” he said. Both agreed on the momentum shift her goal had for the second half.
Sophia Zalucki’s goal late in the second half put the Cardinals in the lead. “In the second half, we were in full … attack mode,” Channel said. “Eventually, the doors opened up and we got the goals we wanted.”
The Cardinals kept finding weaknesses in the Bulldogs’ defense as Stephanie Strong scored into an empty net.
Gabarzz demonstrated impressive ball control as she received a lob from Emma Bradley and put her right foot forward to tap the ball into the left side. The Cardinals will face Michigan Tech on Thursday, Nov. 7 at home. More information can be found at www.svsucardinals.com/sports/wsoc/2024-25/schedule, or their Instagram, @svsuwsoc.
