GVSU To Top of Great Lakes With Win over Bethel

Grand Valley State pulled off something of an upset, running out to a 17-0 lead and holding off Bethel 17-12 in a key Great Lakes Conference game.

Bethel, a fairly new varsity program, got a bit of a surprise, and then took a while to respond. Numbers were a problem, too, as Bethel got hit with injuries in the second half and actually had to play shorthanded for part of the second half. Four different Bethelplayers had to come off for blood subs.  Of course, GVSU ended up shorthanded, too, as they took a red card to back Luke Gruchot with 30 minutes to go. 

Grand Valley did well to control possession and territory and played hard throughout. But the accuracy didn't last the whole game.

"We were up 17-0 after 30 minutes and then botched several scoring threats," said GVSU Head Coach John Mullett. "Bethel showed resilience and grit by scoring twice after good ball movement."

Bethel's second try came with a couple of minutes to go, and Grand Valley then worked 13 phases down to the Bethel line. The Pilots committed a penalty right in front of the posts, but flyhalf Austine Cochrane opted against a kick for goal and simply tapped and kicked to touch to end the game.

Sean Mullett, who is John Mullett's son, is back from a hip injury and had a big game for GVSU. No. 8 and captain Cam McGloughlin (Captain), 6-5 lock Trevor Langland, and flanker Max Craun-Selka led a sterling forward effort for Grand Valley. Senior loosehead Dorian Jones and hooker Andrew Williams are hardworking, smart front-rowers, while the midfield of Andrew Sundstrom and Josh Lynch held things together nicely in the backline.

In other Great Lakes action, Saginaw Valley State edged Oakland University 15-14 to improve to 2-0, while Central Michigan, which pushed both GVSU and Bethel earlier in the year, beat Ferris 22-10.

Calvin beat Eastern Michigan.

Teams have been hit for numbers this year, but the parity is there. CMU is a talented and very physical team, but has been hit with some key injuries.