PITTSBURGH, Pennsylvania -- The Lake Erie men's lacrosse team battled Point Park University in their final game of the season on Tuesday evening, exiting with a thrilling 13-12 victory. After trailing 11-10 with under eight minutes to go, the Storm rallied with three straight goals to steal the win, wrapping up the season on a high note with three consecutive victories.
Game Recap
The Storm started in a tough spot, as with three minutes remaining in the first quarter, they found themselves down 4-1. Their lone goal came from Robert Weil, who recently returned from injury and scored his first since D'Youville back in February. However, Lake Erie responded in a big way, getting goals from four different players—Andrew Cramer, Billy Coughlin, Naythan Zurowski, and Joey Ellison—to take their first lead of the game.
Momentum continued to swing throughout, as Point Park answered with three straight goals, followed by three from Lake Erie, and another three from the Pioneers. That stretch left the Storm trailing 10-8 with under five minutes remaining in the third period.
Lake Erie quickly evened things up with back-to-back goals to make it 10-10, but with 8:39 to play, Point Park regained the lead. From there, Billy Coughlin, John Collins, and Andrew Cramer each delivered clutch goals, giving the Storm a two-goal cushion late.
The Pioneers cut it to 13-12 with 1:56 remaining, setting up a tense finish. After winning the ensuing faceoff, Point Park generated two high-quality chances, but Storm goalkeeper Landon Ramsier came up with back-to-back saves to preserve the win and seal a dramatic victory.
Notables
Along with two goals, redshirt junior Andrew Cramer recorded a team season-high four assists, playing a major role offensively throughout the night.
Robert Weil made an impressive return from injury, scoring three goals on just five shot attempts. Billy Coughlin matched him with three goals of his own, bringing his total to eight goals over the past three games.
Despite being outshot 25-18 on goal and losing faceoffs 25-4, the Storm made the most of their opportunities. Point Park also held the edge in extra-man efficiency, going 2-for-3. However, Lake Erie's goalkeeping proved to be the difference. Redshirt freshman Landon Ramsier delivered the best performance of his young career, entering at halftime and recording 10 saves while allowing just five goals, including two crucial stops in the final possession.
Season Leaders
Goals – Andrew Cramer (27), Billy Coughlin (25), Joey Ellison (24), Naythan Zurowski (18)
Assists – Billy Coughlin (15), Andrew Cramer (10), John Collins (8), Naythan Zurowski (5)
Groundballs – Joshua Hegbe (41), Nicolas Shankland (39), Mark Sosnowski-Cooke (33), Ashlen Rabold (31)
Caused Turnovers – Nicolas Shankland (21), Mark Sosnowski-Cooke (14), Joshua Hegbe (11)
Saves – Noah Beckett (155 – 50.0%), Landon Ramsier (50 – 51.0%)
