OWENSBORO, KY. – One of the best teams in the nation visited Panther Field on Thursday evening as Great Midwest Athletic Conference action entered its final week of the regular season. Lake Erie escaped with 2-0 results over the Kentucky Wesleyan men's soccer team. The Storm brought a heavy down pour to Tri-State as both teams played the final 35 minutes under adverse conditions.
The Storm (11-3-1, 10-2 GMAC) were stifled by the Panthers' defense throughout, especially in the first half. LEC was able to take nine shots in the opening half, five on goal. Wesleyan's keeper,
Matthew Meyer, was up to the task as he made all five stops to preserve a scoreless tie through the first 45 minutes.
Lake Erie continually had to retreat into their own zone as the Panthers took away the middle of the field and forced the Storm to the outside. The score remained tied at the start of the second period, but
Max Wawrin looked to break the tie in the 50
th minute as he broke through the Strom defense. His shot hit the cross bar and was deflected down and in front of the net for the Storm to clear.
With 35 minutes left in the game, the temperature dropped and the rain began to fall. A solid soaking rain continued through the duration of the match. The turf could only take so much moisture as water rose the surface late.
In the 82
nd minute the Strom was able to break through the Panthers' defense as they scored the first goal of the match. They added another goal in the 85
th minute as Meyer charged out of his net to cut-off the angle of their break-away. Tom Pearson converted the score to provide Lake Erie with insurance.
Calum Newson looked to answer quickly, but his header that would have cut the deficit in half was saved in the 87
th minute.
Meyer finished with nine saves while the Storms' goalkeeper Thomas Wroblewski finished with two. The Panthers will travel to Malone on Saturday to play their penultimate match of the season. The contest in Canton, Ohio is scheduled to start at 6 PM CT.
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