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LAX vs CSP

Women's Lacrosse Braden Golisek - Assistant Director of Sports Information

PREVIEW: #2 Wildcats vs #3 Golden Bears in GLIAC Semifinals

The Wildcats will play the Golden Bears for the fourth-consecutive time in the GLIAC Semifinals on Friday, May 1

MARQUETTE, Mich. -- The 2026 GLIAC lacrosse postseason is here, and for the fourth-consecutive season, the Wildcats will play the Concordia-St. Paul Golden Bears in the opening semifinals matchup. 

The Wildcats (12-5, 6-2 GLIAC) earned the #2 seed in the tournament, and will play the #3 Golden Bears (6-10, 3-5 GLIAC). #1 Grand Valley State (10-7, 8-0 GLIAC) earned the right to host the postseason tournament for the sixth-straight season, where they will face the #4 seeded Davenport Panthers (9-8, 3-5 GLIAC). 

Both semifinal matchups will be played on Friday, May 1, at the GVSU Lacrosse Stadium in Allendale, Michigan. The Lakers will play the Panthers at 4:30 p.m. ET, followed by the Wildcats and Golden Bears at 7:30 p.m. ET. The winners will meet in the GLIAC Championship match on Sunday, May 3, at noon ET. Fans can watch all the action on Flo Live, and follow along using Live Stats on the NMU Athletics website.  

Hear from Head Coach Lindsey (LeMay) Majkrzak


The Wildcats now meet the Golden Bears for the third time this season, and for the fourth consecutive time on the campus of Grand Valley State in the first round of the GLIAC Tournament. The 'Cats are 2-0 against the Golden Bears this season, outscoring the opposition 31-14 in those games, and are 3-0 in the previous three meetings in the GLIAC Tournament, outscoring CSP 39-23 in those meetings.

The 'Cats ended the regular season with a 15-7 win in St. Paul, and while the Wildcats have had recent success against Concordia-St. Paul, head coach Lindsey (LeMay) Majkrzak says that beating a team three times in a season is difficult, especially with heightened rivalries between the 'Cats and 'Bears.

"It's odd [going from playing Concordia-St. Paul in the final season of the game to turning around and playing them again in the first round of the tournament]. It's hard to beat a team three times, but I do feel like beating them at home is the hardest thing because of the unique home court advantages they have: they have great home crowds, they play really well because they're used to the bubble, and their intensity was high because it was senior day. Having a fourth official and to be able to play them on neutral ground, I anticipate this to be a smoother game with more speed and strategy."

"Even though the scores weren't as close as last year, we have more of an intense rivalry with Concordia-St. Paul this year, and so there's more excitement and intensity, and our team cares so much more about that first game... I've been here four years in a row, and have [faced the] same team, [used the] same locker room, [played on the] same side of the bench, and you know what you're facing, but with this year's team and how strong that rivalry is, I am excited to see how we can empty the tank to try and earn another day with the team."

Leading the way against the Golden Bears is the nations leading scorer, Josie Lakosky, who has 13 goals and seven assists for 20 points in two games against CSP this season. Avery Lorinser had a breakout game against the Golden Bears in the season finale, scoring five goals, and Lauren Esposito was named a GLIAC Player of the Week after posting a .650 SV%, a career performance against CSP to close out the regular season. 

The Golden Bears are led by two strong student-athletes in the midfield: Susie Monson (31-13--44) and Shelby Marik (38-3--41), who lead the team in goals and points. Shelby Hansen is another threat for the Golden Bears on attack, while Claire Flahaven leads the Golden Bear defense corps with 32 caused turnovers and 41 ground balls on the season. CSP has split time between netminders Marge Lucio and Erika Holm, as the team holds a 12.21 GAA and .380 SV%. 






 
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Players Mentioned

Lauren Esposito

#35 Lauren Esposito

GK
5' 4"
Junior
Josie Lakosky

#1 Josie Lakosky

A
5' 7"
Junior
Avery Lorinser

#18 Avery Lorinser

A
5' 8"
Junior

Players Mentioned

Lauren Esposito

#35 Lauren Esposito

5' 4"
Junior
GK
Josie Lakosky

#1 Josie Lakosky

5' 7"
Junior
A
Avery Lorinser

#18 Avery Lorinser

5' 8"
Junior
A