PAINESVILLE, Ohio -- The Lake Erie men's lacrosse team kicked off their season opener against the University of Indianapolis on Saturday afternoon, falling by a score of 12-5. It was all Greyhounds early, as they built an 8-0 lead by the closing seconds of the first half, but a last-second goal by Naythan Zurowski gave the Storm some life entering the break. The third quarter was won 2-0 by Lake Erie, but it wasn't enough as UIndy prevailed, moving to 2-0 on the season while the Storm drop to 0-1.
Game Recap
The Greyhounds wasted no time, scoring within the first minute and adding another to close out a relatively quiet first period. In the second period, UIndy once again found the back of the net in the opening minute, then struck again at the 10-minute mark before rattling off four straight goals in under three minutes midway through the frame. Down 8-0, Lake Erie was in a precarious position but continued to fight until the final seconds of the half, which proved valuable as Billy Coughlin assisted Naythan Zurowski on a last-second goal.
Only two goals were scored in the third period, both by the Storm, as they began to inch closer and make things interesting. Senior Billy Coughlin scored a man-down goal early, and after stout defensive play from both sides, junior Robert Weil launched a shot from his own 20-yard line for one of the longest goals in program history, sending Lake Erie's campus into a frenzy and cutting the deficit to 8-3. While there seemed to be newfound life, the Greyhounds shut the door in the fourth period, scoring four straight to take a commanding 12-3 lead. Once again, LEC showed resilience, netting the final two goals of the match from familiar faces Robert Weil and Naythan Zurowski.
Notable Takeaways
The Storm were outshot 57-27, as the Greyhounds consistently applied offensive pressure against a tough Lake Erie defense. This comes after UIndy attempted 62 shots in their previous game against Northwood, another top-five projected team in the G-MAC. It also didn't help Lake Erie's case that they won just four of 21 face-off opportunities and committed 20 turnovers.
Noah Beckett (6) and Joshua Hegbe (4) led the way in ground balls, while Beckett also recorded 10 saves. Hegbe accounted for the Storm's only two caused turnovers on the night.
Looking Ahead
Lake Erie will be back at home next Saturday to face D'Youville before traveling to Seton Hill for the first conference game of the season. D'Youville is 1-1 this year after falling to Assumption University 22-4, then edging out a 12-11 win over Point Park.
