HARROGATE, Tennessee -- The Lake Erie women's lacrosse team opened their season against Lincoln Memorial University on Saturday morning, falling by a final score of 18-6. The Railsplitters took a commanding 9-2 lead after the first period and never looked back, earning their second win of the season while the Storm move to 0-1.
Game Recap
Lincoln Memorial opened with the first two goals of the game within the first two minutes of action, but Brooke McNeal responded with a man-up, free-position goal with 12:07 remaining in the first period. Three more Railsplitter scores made it 5-1, but LeAnna Walters found Reese Friesen to keep the Storm within reach. However, four more goals from the home team pushed their lead to 9-2 in a super high-scoring opening period of the season.
The second period was much more tactical and less explosive, as both sides went nine minutes without a score until sophomore Isabella Tudisco found the net with 5:37 left before halftime. Just 22 seconds later, McNeal added her second goal of the game. The Railsplitters were able to sneak one past the Storm in the final minutes of the period, but Lake Erie still won the quarter 2-1 and cut the deficit to 10-4 at the break.
Another Lincoln Memorial goal extended the lead early in the third, but McNeal completed her hat trick — the first of what will likely be many this season — to make the score 11-5. After the lead grew to 12-5, freshman Gabriella Adie, a native of Massachusetts, scored her first collegiate goal on a man-up opportunity. That would be the final goal for the visiting Storm, as they were held scoreless in the fourth period.
Takeaways
The Storm did a strong job avoiding fouls in dangerous areas, allowing zero free-position shot opportunities — something they did not accomplish in any of their 17 games last season. On the other end, Lake Erie earned five free-position attempts and converted three of them.
Lake Erie won 9 of 26 draw controls, were outshot 36-13, and recorded nine saves.
Amelia Shirk caused two of the team's five forced turnovers, while Lainey Davis led the Storm with four draw controls. Avery Artino was the only player with multiple ground balls and also recorded one save in the first period. Bethany Kirkwood played the final three periods in goal, making eight saves.
Looking Ahead
Lake Erie will host its home opener on Thursday, February 19 at 6 p.m. against Daemen. After three additional non-conference matchups, the Storm will begin G-MAC play on March 18 when they host Ashland.
