PAINESVILLE, Ohio – The Lake Erie College men's soccer team celebrated Senior Day in dominant fashion on Thursday, October 22, defeating Northwood University 4-0 in a Great Midwest Athletic Conference matchup. The Storm honored their graduating seniors
David Ruiz Ospina, Alan Loya, Cruz Rosales, Cal Babiash, Nicolas Vagujhelyi, Landon Brooks, Skyler Landgraf, Dario Stadler, Ido Omaysi, Oswaldo Sanchez, and Veljko Radovanovic before the match, recognizing their dedication, leadership, and contributions to the program before delivering an impressive performance on the field.
Lake Erie wasted little time getting on the scoreboard, taking an early lead in the fifth minute.
William Hjelte sent a cross into the box that deflected off a Northwood defender and into the net, giving the Storm a 1-0 advantage. The goal marked
Hjelte's third of the season.
The Storm continued to control possession and create offensive opportunities throughout the opening half. In the 35th minute,
Florian Senf doubled the lead with his second goal of the season. The scoring play developed from a cross on the near side that was played back toward the top of the box, where
Senf finished the opportunity.
Veljko Radovanovic and
Fabio Juricko were credited with assists, sending Lake Erie into halftime with a 2-0 lead.
Lake Erie maintained its momentum in the second half, continuing to pressure the Northwood defense while limiting the Timberwolves' offensive opportunities. In the 74th minute,
Luka Bekovic extended the Storm's advantage to 3-0, connecting on a header off a corner kick delivered by senior captain
Linus Oestlund. The goal marked
Bekovic's first of the season.
The Storm added their fourth and final goal in the 81st minute when
Cal Babiash capitalized on a Northwood goalkeeper miscue, finding the back of the open net for his fifth goal of the season.
Defensively, Lake Erie delivered another strong performance, limiting Northwood to just five total shots and two shots on goal. Goalkeeper
Patrick Bassett recorded two saves through 84 minutes of action before
David Ruiz Ospina entered to close out the match. The two combined to secure the shutout.
Lake Erie finished with an 11-5 advantage in shots and a 5-4 edge in corner kicks.
Hjelte led the offensive effort with three shots, while four different Storm players found the back of the net.
The victory served as a fitting celebration for the Storm's senior class, whose contributions have helped shape the program both on and off the field.
With the win, Lake Erie improves to 10-4-3 overall and 9-2-2 in G-MAC play, while Northwood falls to 2-11-2 overall and 2-9-1 in conference competition. With this win, the Storm are sitting in first place in the G-MAC and will play their final regular season game at home Tuesday October 27th when they take on the Tiffin Dragons.
