PAINESVILLE, Ohio -- The Lake Erie women's soccer team squared off against the No. 23-ranked Cedarville Yellow Jackets on Thursday evening, exiting with a 1-0 loss. Cedarville entered the contest playing a great brand of soccer, with their only defeat of the season coming nearly six weeks ago against No. 5 Grand Valley State. They limited the Storm offense all night, handing Lake Erie its first conference loss of the season and dropping them to 7-2-3 overall (4-1-3 G-MAC), though the Storm still remain firmly in fourth place.

Game Recap

The first half saw zero shots on target from either side, as both defenses completely shut things down. For the Storm, their lone first-half attempt from Makenna Sanom tied their fewest shots in any half this season, matching their first period against Walsh (which ended in a 1-1 draw).

Cedarville came out of halftime in rhythm, forcing a Morgan Vanmeter save just two minutes into the second half. Five minutes later, the Yellow Jackets had a shot blocked by the Storm defense, but they recovered the rebound and found the back of the net for what proved to be the game-winner.

From that point on, Lake Erie struggled to gain sustained possession, as Cedarville played with patience and precision. On the rare occasions the Storm advanced into the attacking third, they were quickly swarmed and unable to generate chances. Their three total shots marked a season low—and for the first time since 2021, Lake Erie failed to record a shot on goal. On the bright side, holding a high-powered Cedarville offense that averages 2.4 goals per game to just one is an impressive feat in itself.

The Matchup

Heading into the night, Lake Erie sat 0-11 all-time against Cedarville, with the series dating back to 2017. Last season, both matchups were tightly contested, with the Storm dropping each by a 1-0 score. In those 11 meetings, Lake Erie managed just one goal total—coming in a 3-1 loss back in 2019.

Looking Ahead

The schedule lightens up a bit after this weekend, with games against Tiffin (twice, 2-8-2), Malone (4-5-2), Northwood (6-1-4), and Ursuline (3-7-1) closing out the regular season. But first, the Storm head 90 minutes southwest to face No. 16 Ashland this Saturday, October 18.

The Eagles opened conference play 6-0, including dominant 7-0 wins over both Ursuline and Tiffin, but have shown some vulnerability lately—settling for 1-1 draws in their last two games against strong G-MAC opponents, Cedarville and Northwood.

Ashland is led by back-to-back Ohio Collegiate Soccer Association Coach of the Year Cayleb Paulino and reigning D2 Second-Team All-American forward Dani Hicks. Hicks currently leads the G-MAC in goals by a wide margin, netting nine in 12 games—three more than the next closest player—and she also tops the league in assists with seven.

The Eagles pace the conference in nearly every offensive category: shots, shots on goal, goals, assists, and corners (128 compared to the next closest team's 56). It'll be a tough task for the Storm, but in what's shaping up to be their most successful season ever, they're as well-equipped as they've ever been to take on Ashland's firepower.