PAINESVILLE, Ohio -- The Lake Erie women's soccer team opened conference play in dominant fashion, defeating Kentucky Wesleyan 4-0. The Storm carried a 2-0 lead into halftime after goals from Alyvia Sanom and Isabella Carvalho, and added two more in the second half, fueled by a two-assist performance from Leonie Witt. With the win, Lake Erie improves to 3-1 on the season—already matching last year's win total—and begins conference play 1-0 for the first time since 2005, when they competed in the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference.

Game Recap
Kentucky Wesleyan came out firing, taking three shots in the first three minutes, but none found the net. Lake Erie struck first on their opening attack as Sanom lofted a perfectly placed shot over the Panther goalkeeper. From there, the Storm defense took control, holding Kentucky Wesleyan to just one more first-half attempt, which goalkeeper Morgan Vanmeter turned away.

Just before the half, Carvalho delivered her second goal of the season in the 43rd minute, doubling Lake Erie's advantage and sending them into the break up 2-0.

The Storm came out fast after halftime. In the 51st minute, Arielle Fink buried a pass from Sanom to make it 3-0. Lake Erie continued to press forward, creating several more chances before Witt found Carvalho in the 78th minute for her second goal of the day, sealing the decisive 4-0 victory.

The Matchup
The win snapped a five-game losing streak against Kentucky Wesleyan and marked Lake Erie's first victory over the Panthers since a 1-0 result in 2018.

Looking Ahead
The Storm now embark on a three-game road stretch, part of a run that sees them play five of their next six away from home. They open with Ohio Dominican (0-3-1) on Saturday, followed by D'Youville (1-2-1) and Malone (1-1-1). Lake Erie then returns home to host Walsh (1-1-1).