WHEELING, West Virginia -- The Lake Erie women's lacrosse team took on Wheeling University on Saturday afternoon, falling by a final score of 25-2. Despite two goals from Storm standout Brooke McNeal, the Cardinals were dominant from start to finish.

With the loss, the Storm drop to 0-5, with their next chance to enter the win column coming on Wednesday, March 18th, when the Ashland Eagles head to Painesville.

Game Recap

The Cardinals quickly jumped out to an early 6-0 lead before Brooke McNeal scored on a free-position shot with 4:40 remaining in the period. Two more Wheeling goals pushed the home team ahead 8-1 after one.

McNeal scored again in the second period, her eighth of the season, but the Cardinals were too much for the Storm to contain, entering halftime with a 16-2 advantage.

The home team finished the game with 16 unanswered goals, nine coming in the second half, as the Storm managed just three shots on goal after halftime, all of which were saved. Lake Erie had difficulty gaining possessions, as the Cardinals would score and then win the draw control. Wheeling held a 7-1 edge in draw controls in the second half, leading to the Storm defense being consistently engaged.

The Storm shuffled through all three of their goalkeepers, with Avery Artino playing roughly half the game, while Bethany Kirkwood and Ainsley Sutter each played a period. They combined to save five shots. Lainey Davis recorded four of the team's seven draw controls, and Brooke McNeal led the offense, taking six of the Storm's 11 total shots.

Looking Ahead

The Storm will have an 11-day break before returning to action, hosting three home games in the span of five days. They begin with Ashland on Wednesday, March 18th, for a 1 PM showdown. The Eagles, who went 8-0 against conference opponents last season en route to a G-MAC Championship before falling in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, also began this season 2-2 against a difficult non-conference slate. Their losses have come against No. 11 Slippery Rock (18-9) and No. 2 UIndy (17-7). Unlike the Storm, Ashland will not have a similar break, as the Eagles have four games scheduled between now and the March 18th matchup.