The Ferris State women’s soccer team kicks off their conference tournament next Tuesday.
The team is currently fifth in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and has an overall record of 6-8-2. The team has won four out of their last six games and they want to ride that momentum into the conference tournament. Sophomore defender Meredith Smith has high goals for her team.
“My expectations in the GLIAC tournament are to just take one game at a time and make it to the finals,” Smith said.
In order to do that, the Bulldogs will have to get past some tough competition, but the team does not yet know who they will play in the first round. The favorite going into the tournament is a tough Grand Valley State team who has won the tournament for the last 6 years. The Bulldogs are confident in their team, but don’t want to think too far ahead.
“We are not out of conference play yet,” junior Casey Shauman said. “So we are still focusing on winning our conference games. We like to focus on one game at a time, and at this point of the season it is important to focus on the conference games.”
Shauman is the team leader in goals this season with nine markers.
The team still has a game to play before the GLIAC tournament against a tough Ohio Dominican team on Thursday. The two teams have not played each other yet this season, but the game should be a good test for Ferris State before heading into the tournament next week.
In terms of the team’s chances at making the NCAA tournament, Casey Shauman seemed more focused on the task at hand.
“It is our goal to get into the NCAA tournament, but we first need to focus on winning the GLIAC,” Shauman said. “And to get there we will have to play some of the top teams in the GLIAC. Those teams are Saginaw Valley, Michigan Tech, Ohio Dominican and Grand Valley.”
The GLIAC tournament will be taking place Nov. 4, 7, and 9. The team with the highest speed will host the tournament. If the standings stay the way they are now, the hosting team will be Grand Valley State.