PAINESVILLE, Ohio -- The Lake Erie men's lacrosse team was back at home on Saturday afternoon to battle Wheeling University. Intense and well-balanced from start to finish, the game headed into overtime, where the Cardinals were able to hold the Storm's initial possession to two wide shots before marching down and scoring the game-winner on the other end.
In the loss, the Storm move to 1-6 overall and 1-3 against G-MAC opponents.
Game Recap
The first 12 minutes were scoreless on both sides, but on the Cardinals' 11th shot of the period, they were finally able to get on the board. Their celebration would be short-lived, as Elijah Bush scored 29 seconds later to tie the game. It seemed the period would end 1-1, but Wheeling had other plans, scoring with 11 seconds remaining to take a lead into the second.
The Cardinals won the opening faceoff and took four shots on their first possession, missing on all of them. From there, it was the Storm generating plenty of good opportunities at the net, taking 14 shots in the period, though it did not translate into goals until late, when a scoring barrage broke out before halftime. Still trailing 2-1 with around four minutes left before the break, Andrew Cramer tied the game on his 10th goal of the season, followed quickly by Joey Ellison on a man-up opportunity to give the Storm their first lead of the game. That lead would not last long, as Wheeling not only tied the game a minute later, but scored twice in a 20-second span to seemingly take a 4-3 lead into halftime with momentum. However, with 15 seconds remaining, Ellison opened up his do-it-yourself kit, saving a long, empty possession with an athletic, tumbling goal near the crease to tie the game at 4-apiece at the break.
After another slow scoring start to the third, the Cardinals took a 5-4 lead with 5:13 remaining, but another Andrew Cramer goal, this time assisted by Billy Coughlin, kept both teams deadlocked. Wheeling was not done, though, pouring in another goal before the buzzer sounded to enter the final 15 minutes up 6-5.
The fourth started with an Elijah Bush goal, his third of the season on just five total shots, keeping the Storm firmly in it. The road team quickly responded to take a 7-6 lead, but Joey Ellison completed the eighth hat-trick of his illustrious career, tying the game at 7-7 with 7:27 left. From there, stellar team defense and individual goalkeeper play, a staple from both sides all game, kept the score at a standstill, sending LEC to four extra minutes for the second straight game.
Joshua Hegbe took the faceoff for the Storm in overtime and won, with Nicolas Shankland grabbing the ground ball and clearing it, leading to a Coach Ashton timeout to get the offense best situated. The Storm then had two solid shot opportunities but went wide on both. The Cardinals took possession, cleared, took a timeout of their own, and scored, walking out of Painesville with a tough win.
Notables
Both sides played an evenly balanced game throughout, but the determining factor ended up being possessions. The ball stayed on the Storm defensive end a bit too much as a result of winning only four of 17 faceoffs and having four fewer successful clears on the same number of attempts. When the Storm had the pill, they were slow and methodical, getting the looks they wanted and putting more shots on target than the Cardinals, but Lake Erie still faced more total shots, and Wheeling's goalkeeper took away some well-placed attempts.
Naythan Zurowski set a team season-high with seven ground balls, while Noah Beckett and Nicolas Shankland both caused two turnovers each.
Beckett was impressive for the Storm, saving 10 shots, being active in clear attempts, and even picking off some entry passes from behind the net.
Looking Ahead
BBack at home on Tuesday, March 17th, to face Walsh, the Storm will look to avenge last season, when the Cavaliers had their best year in program history. Walsh finished above .500 for the first time with 10 wins and defeated Lake Erie twice, including a victory on the Storm's home field in the G-MAC Semifinals.
This season, the Cavaliers are 3-5 and coming off back-to-back wins against G-MAC opponents Point Park (19-13) and Tiffin (17-5). Similar to the Storm, they had an incredibly difficult non-conference schedule to open the season. They also lost to top-ranked Lewis University, though by only seven goals compared to Lake Erie's 18-goal defeat. Additionally, they took a loss to the No. 1 team in DII, Adelphi University.
AJ Harrison has 19 goals for the Cavaliers this season, tied for the most in the conference. He had eight goals in a 12-11 loss to Northwood. Walsh goalkeeper Austin England has saved 104 shots this year, another conference-high.
