When the Grand Valley State University women’s soccer team won the National Championship last December, it was the first title for a program that had made two Final Fours, including an unsuccessful trip to the championship game in 2007.

Now the team, equipped with more experience than most programs could ever hope for, begins a new season with a new goal – to become the first GVSU team to repeat as National Champions since the 2005 and 2006 football squads.

History has proven winning back-to-back collegiate National Championships to be very difficult in any sport and at any level. In Division I football, no team has won back-to-back titles since the University of Nebraska football team did it in 1994 and 1995. The University of Florida repeated in Division I basketball back in 2006 and 2007, but before then no team had achieved the feat since Duke University in 1991 and 1992. Even in Division II women’s soccer where the Lakers are trying to repeat as champs, no team has repeated since the University of California San Diego in 2000 and 2001.

GVSU Athletic Director Tim Selgo, who has seen two different GVSU football teams repeat as champions in the past decade, said the second championship is tougher to come by than the first.

“Once you win the first championship, the target gets bigger on your back, and that’s what makes it harder,” he said. “Everyone knows you’re the defending champion, and most teams are going to gear up their games a few notches to prove themselves against the defending champions.”

The GVSU women’s soccer team graduated several key seniors leading into the new season, including Irie Dennis, the National Soccer Coaches Association of America Division II Player of the Year. Despite the losses, Selgo said GVSU teams have been able to repeat under similar circumstances in the past.

“The ’02 and ’03 football teams were two totally different teams,” he said. “In ’02 we were an offensive machine, and in ’03 we won a National Championship solely on our defense. That was really remarkable, especially considering we lost a tremendous senior class to graduation in ’02. For that ’03 team to come back and win it was quite an achievement.”

GVSU head women’s soccer coach Dave DiIanni said he knows his team will have an uphill challenge ahead, and his team has to be ready.

“Last year’s team was so good because they bought in — they all played their role to the best of their ability, and that’s the key this year,” he said. “I think we’re getting there, but it’s going to be a process. Also, it’s taking it one game at a time. It’s thrown around and used all the time, but even every training session and practice, we have to get better each time, and we’re trying to do that.”

The team got off to a successful start in their bid to repeat, winning the first three games of the season by a combined eight goals.

gmonahan@lanthorn.com