PAINESVILLE, Ohio -- The Lake Erie women's lacrosse team hosted Tiffin on Sunday for Senior Day, exiting with a 20-6 loss. The Dragons took command early with an 8-1 lead after the first period and stretched it to 12-1 by halftime. The Storm showed much more on the defensive end in the second half, and while their shot production remained similar, they were far more successful at finding the back of the net. Ultimately, however, Tiffin cruised to the win, dropping LEC to 1-7 on the season.
Game Recap
Tiffin opened the game with two quick goals before freshman Gabriella Adie muscled her way toward the Dragons' net and fired a shot past the goalkeeper to make it 2-1. Despite putting 10 more shots up before halftime, with six of them on target, that would mark the Storm's only goal of the half as they trailed 12-1 at the break. Despite winning half of the draw controls, LEC spent much of the opening half on its heels, struggling to retain possessions while the Dragons seemingly got shots at will, taking 24 in the first 30 minutes. Without six first-half saves from Avery Artino, the deficit could have been even larger.
The second half saw the Storm put on an excellent fight. Despite finishing with fewer total shots and shots on goal, Lake Erie scored three times in the third period alone, winning that stretch 3-2. Gabriella Adie opened the scoring with a woman-down goal off a Lainey Davis assist, before Brooke McNeal and Reese Friesen each added goals later in the quarter. Heading into the fourth, LEC trailed 14-4.
Tiffin rattled off four more goals to open the final period and put an exclamation point on the game, but that did not stop Reese Friesen from scoring twice in the final six minutes to secure yet another hat trick, marking the first time in her career that she has recorded back-to-back hat tricks.
Notables
Senior Day celebrations saw Avery Artino, Madison McCarthy, Ainsley Sutter, and Brooke McNeal receive a standing ovation for all they have contributed to the program during their time at Lake Erie.
Avery Artino has contributed across all four years of her career, recording 171 saves. Back in 2024, she posted a career-high 13 saves against Davis & Elkins.
Madison McCarthy is a two-time Academic All-G-MAC selection and has appeared in 20 games over her career, including two starts this season. A defender from GlenOak High School, McCarthy is majoring in Biology.
Ainsley Sutter has appeared in 29 games during her career, totaling 99 saves. She has recorded four games with eight saves.
Brooke McNeal earned First-Team All-G-MAC honors in 2024 and Second-Team All-G-MAC honors last season, while also being named a two-time Academic All-G-MAC recipient. Last year, she finished sixth in the conference in goals with 49, including a career-high nine against Northwood. The year prior, she set program records in draw controls with 84 in a season and 12 in a single game. This season, she is currently tied with Gabriella Adie for the team lead with 11 goals and leads the team with four assists. She is also tied with Amelia Shirk for the team lead in caused turnovers with seven and has added 14 draw controls.
Looking Ahead
The Storm have eight games remaining on the schedule, with their next two on the road: Walsh on Wednesday, March 25, and Malone on Saturday, March 28.
The Cavaliers are 2-5 this season after falling to Findlay, 12-6, on Saturday. Their wins came against Davenport, 15-10, and Northwood, 18-14. That Davenport result is notable, as the Storm also faced the Panthers earlier this season and fell 22-2.
Walsh is led in scoring by sophomore Trinity Stowell, who has accounted for 30 of the team's 75 goals.
