PAINESVILLE, Ohio -- The Lake Erie women's soccer team hosted their first game of the 2024 season on Saturday versus D'Youville. The Storm won in convincing fashion, with a final score reading 4-0. This victory gives new head coach Carl Contrascier his first win as an NCAA head coach, with many more to come as the team rallies behind his fresh style and leadership.

Game Recap
Wasting nearly no time, the Storm would score their first goal barely two minutes into the contest, in which junior Kim Lorenz found the net after a beautiful assist from Leonie Witt. The Saints would certainly have their opportunities early on, attempting six shots in the first 27 minutes, yet none of them were successful. What happened next out of junior Leonie Witt would essentially rip the game open and tear apart D'Youville's chances of winning apart, as Witt would score two goals before half, propelling Lake Erie's lead to 3-0 before entering the second period. 

Period two proved to be much of the same story as the first, as the Storm dominated time of possession, kept the ball on D'Youville's side of the field, aggressively went after 50/50 balls, battled hard for positioning, and limited quality looks at the Storm goal. On the off chance that there were shots on goal, sophomore goalkeeper Morgan Vanmeter did a great job swallowing up everything that came her way, posting six saves in an impressive outing. By the 87th minute, with no change to the scoreboard and the outcome almost certain, redshirt freshman Caley Biddinger decided, for good measure, to seal the job, scoring perhaps the most impressive goal in Division II up to this point in the season. 

The Matchup
After getting shutout in the first two games of the year, it's extremely promising to see the offensive outburst displayed by the Storm. A great blend of impressive dribbling, accurate passing, and powerful shots from this game provide great optimism moving forward for this squad. However, Lake Erie historically always seems to play well against D'Youville, as this victory was the seventh consecutively against the Saints. In those match-ups, the Storm has a score difference of 30-1. Lake Erie now leads the all-time series record against D'Youville 8-1. 

Looking Ahead
Lake Erie will be on the road for their next matchup, where they face Ursuline in the first G-MAC competition of the season on Thursday, September 19th at 3:30pm. Catch the women back at home next Saturday, September 21st, where they host the visiting Malone University Pioneers at 1pm.