PAINESVILLE, Ohio -- The Lake Erie women's lacrosse team hosted Davis & Elkins on Friday night, falling 13-11 in a hard-fought battle. The Storm led 4-3 after the first period, but a disastrous second quarter left them in a 10-5 hole at halftime. Their deficit grew to seven, but a dominant stretch in the third saw them score five unanswered goals, making for an exciting finish. Despite a valiant comeback effort, the Senators held firm, dropping Lake Erie to 1-7 on the season.
Game Recap
The Storm came out firing, as Reese Friesen found a cutting Madelyn Goodrich for the game's first goal four minutes in. Less than a minute later, Goodrich returned the favor, assisting Friesen's sixth goal of the season. Davis & Elkins responded quickly, tying the game at 2-2, but Rachel Rose put Lake Erie back in front with three minutes remaining. The Senators answered again, but Goodrich's second goal gave the Storm a 4-3 edge at the end of the first.
The second period proved costly, as Davis & Elkins rattled off five goals in just eight minutes to take an 8-4 lead. Brooke McNeal momentarily stopped the bleeding with a goal at the 1:54 mark, but the Senators struck twice in the final 20 seconds, delivering a gut punch that made it 10-5 at halftime.
Out of the break, Davis & Elkins extended their lead to 12-5, seemingly in full control. But Lake Erie wasn't done. Rachel Rose sparked a turnaround, scoring twice in just 27 seconds to ignite the team. The energy in the stadium flipped, the bench came alive, and the Storm played with renewed urgency. McNeal found the back of the net with 1:58 left in the third, and Friesen followed with her second goal, cutting the deficit to 12-9 heading into the fourth.
Goodrich kept the momentum rolling early in the final frame, completing her hat trick to make it a two-goal game with 12 minutes left. However, the Senators responded less than a minute later, pushing their lead back to 13-10. McNeal's third goal of the night brought Lake Erie within two with 9:15 to go, but from there, the Senators locked down defensively, allowing just one Storm shot the rest of the way to seal the win.
Player Notes
Three different Storm players recorded hat tricks: Brooke McNeal (her second of the season and eighth of her career), Madelyn Goodrich (her third of the season and tenth of her career), and freshman Rachel Rose, who tallied the first hat trick of her career. This was the first time this season that three or more Lake Erie players scored three goals in a game, last happening against Malone last year.
Goodrich, who had only two assists through the first seven games, recorded three in this game, tying her career high set in her freshman debut.
Shannon Smith was everywhere defensively, collecting a career-high 10 ground balls, tying her for the second-most in a single game in the conference this season. She now has over twice as many ground balls as her next closest teammate and ranks fourth in the conference with 31.
Five different Storm players forced turnovers: Isabella Morales, Madelyn Goodrich, Shannon Smith, Brooke McNeal, and Reese Friesen.
Lainey Davis won four draw controls, bringing her season total to 10.
In goal, Bethany Kirkwood started and recorded five saves. Ainsley Sutter turned in one of her best performances of the year, making two saves and allowing just one goal in over 20 minutes of action.
Team Notes
Despite being outshot 33-28 overall, the Storm put more shots on goal than the Senators, finishing with a 17-14 edge.
Lake Erie applied heavy defensive pressure, forcing Davis & Elkins into 32 turnovers, tying the Storm's season high for opponent giveaways and setting a new season high for the Senators.
Both teams were efficient in transition, with Lake Erie converting 28 of 33 clear attempts and Davis & Elkins finishing 23 of 25.
One of the biggest struggles for the Storm came in draw controls, where the Senators dominated, winning 19 of the 27 opportunities.
The Matchup
After winning the first four matchups in program history against Davis & Elkins, Lake Erie has now lost the last two.
Looking Ahead
Next up, the Storm travel to Tiffin on Sunday, March 23, for a 12 p.m. matchup. The Dragons are 5-3 this season and previously defeated Davis & Elkins 11-7. Senior Caylin Kunze leads Tiffin with 24 goals, ranking fifth in the G-MAC.
