PAINESVILLE, OHIO – For the second straight week, regulation wasn't enough for the Lake Erie College women's lacrosse team to emerge with a victory.  And for the second straight week, freshman Julia Kudla (Harleysville, Pa./Souderton) scored eight goals to lead the Storm to a 23-22 overtime victory on the road at St. Thomas Aquinas College late Saturday afternoon (May 8) in Hillburn, N.Y.

Freshman Meredith Howe (Fayetteville, N.Y./Jamesville Dewiit) scored six goals, including two in overtime, to lead the Storm (7-6, 2-4 ECC) to its second straight win overall and snap a four-game East Coast Conference losing streak.

Lake Erie almost didn't make it into overtime.  The Storm trailed 20-19 in the final seconds and were down a player, but Kudla connected on an unassisted goal with seven seconds to play in regulation and force the extra session.

St. Thomas Aquinas (0-13, 0-7 ECC) led 5-3 12 minutes into the game but Lake Erie responded with a 9-1 run to take a six-goal lead at 12-6 when Brittany Rabuano (Auburn, N.Y./Auburn) scored with 2:24 to go before halftime. The Spartans scored twice in the final minute of the half to trail 12-8 at halftime.

A four-goal spurt midway through the second cut the Storm lead to 14-13 before Kudla and Kim Dang (Atlanta, Ga./Jackson) each scored twice in to push the lead to 18-15.  But at that point, St. Thomas Aquinas scored four straight to take its first lead of the second half at 19-18.

The frantic final 1:03 of regulation saw two lead changes and three ties, including Kudla's goal which staved off defeat for the Storm.

In addition to Kudla's eight goals and Howe's six, Allison Trombetti (Lewis Center, Ohio/Olentangy) scored four times and Dang and Rabuano each had two goals.

Stephanie Brown scored eight goals for the Spartans.

Lake Erie closes its inaugural season on Sunday, May 9, with an ECC contest at Molloy College.

-LEC-