PITTSBURGH, Pennsylvania -- The Lake Erie College women's lacrosse team battled Point Park University on Friday afternoon, dropping the game by a score of 17-8. After the dust settled in a high-scoring first period, the Storm and Pioneers were tied at four goals apiece. However, four straight goals to start the second period helped put the home team up 9-5 by halftime, and they only poured it on from there.

The Storm move to 0-3 on the season and have two more non-conference games before their first G-MAC opponent, Ashland, comes to town on Wednesday, March 18th.

Game Recap

Both teams traded goals throughout the first period, with neither side gaining a clear advantage after the opening 15 minutes. The Pioneers were first on the board, but Brooke McNeal took advantage of a man-up opportunity to score her fourth goal of the season. Less than 30 seconds later, the Storm found themselves trailing again, but McNeal once again tied the game with 9:37 remaining in the first. Gabriella Adie then made the most of two opportunities later in the period, getting assists from Olivia Sopraseuth and Rachel Rose to secure a 4-4 tie after the first.

The second period started much slower, as neither side scored until midway through, but then the Pioneers erupted for four unanswered goals to begin pulling away. Lindsey Sutter scored on another Rachel Rose assist near the end of the period to keep it close, but Point Park converted in the final seconds before halftime to go up 9-5 at the break.

It was a forgettable third period for the visiting Storm, as they were outscored 5-0 and did not attempt a single shot against the formidable Pioneers defense. Lake Erie committed 10 of its 28 turnovers in that period alone.

After falling behind 16-5 following two more Point Park goals, Reese Friesen dished out assists to both Brooke McNeal and Rachel Rose. Another Lake Erie goal by Isabella Tudisco capped three straight Storm scores, but it was too little too late, as another Pioneer goal in the final minutes sealed the 17-8 loss.

Avery Artino saw the bulk of the playing time in goal, playing nearly 50 minutes and recording 11 saves. Bethany Kirkwood relieved her for the final 10:12 and stopped two shots on target.

Looking Ahead

Next up for the Storm is Davenport, as the Panthers come to Painesville on Tuesday, March 3rd, for a 2 p.m. game. The Panthers are 2-0 this season, with both wins coming against G-MAC opponents Tiffin (21-10) and Northwood (15-8). In those games, Davenport won draw controls 40-19 and attempted 35 more shots than its opponents.