SPARKILL, N.Y. -- The Lake Erie women's lacrosse team lost its East Coast Conference (ECC) opener Saturday afternoon (March 31), falling at St. Thomas Aquinas College 17-10.

The game was tied at 7-7 at halftime, but the Spartans (5-2, 1-0 ECC) used a 6-0 run in the second half to pull away for their second straight win.

Freshman Hana Abu-Kwiek (Lewis Center, Ohio/Olentangy Orange) scored four goals for the Storm (4-3, 0-1 ECC), including three in the first half as Lake Erie played even with the home team for the first 38 minutes.

But with the game knotted at 8-8 with under 22 minutes to play, St. Thomas Aquinas scored six straight goals, including three by Margaret Sharp, in the next eight minutes to go up 14-8.

The Spartans outscored the Storm 10-3 in the second half.

In addition to Abu-Kwiek, sophomores Annie Mendoza (Lansing, Mich./Lansing Catholic) and Ashriel West (Jamesville, N.Y./Jamesville Dewitt) each scored two goals.  Junior Julia Kudla (Harleysville, Pa./Souderton) had four assists.

Sharp scored a game-high six goals to lead St. Thomas Aquinas. Alannah Mcallister and Anne Buttafuoco  scored three goals each.

The Storm continues its league-opening weekend on Sunday, April 1, at the University of Long Island-C.W. Post.

-LEC-