PAINESVILLE, Ohio – The Lake Erie women's soccer team played their first-ever game on the newly constructed campus turf field on Friday, and for the first time in three seasons, opened the year with a win. Senior Leonie Witt—coming off an eight-goal campaign that earned her 2nd Team G-MAC honors—wasted no time, finding the back of the net just six minutes into the match. That lone goal proved decisive, as the Storm and Edinboro battled through 84 more minutes of scoreless, defense-heavy play. Lake Erie will now look to build on the momentum Sunday when they travel to California, Pennsylvania, for a 1 p.m. matchup.

Game Recap
Lake Erie set the tone early in their 2025 season opener. Just three minutes in, Ainsley MacKenzie fired the game's first shot, which was turned away by the Fighting Scots goalkeeper—who would go on to make several impressive saves throughout the night. Moments later, however, Witt capitalized on a corner-kick opportunity, sneaking one past the keeper in what turned out to be the game-winning moment. From there, the two teams played evenly, posting nearly identical stats across the board. The true story of the night, though, was Lake Erie's defense. The Storm back line held Edinboro to just seven total shots—a remarkable feat given that last season, the fewest shots allowed in any game was 11 (against both Malone and Kentucky Wesleyan).

The Matchup
Coming into Friday's contest, the Storm had never defeated Edinboro, carrying an 0-4 record dating back to their last meeting in 2013. That streak is officially over, as Lake Erie claimed its first-ever victory over the Fighting Scots with the 1-0 result.

Looking Ahead
The Storm now hit the road to take on California (Pa.) this Sunday before returning home to Painesville for a 7 p.m. showdown with IUP on Wednesday, September 10. After that, Lake Erie gets an eight-day break before opening G-MAC play, hosting Kentucky Wesleyan on Thursday, September 28 at 4 p.m.