Painesville, Ohio – The Kentucky Wesleyan football team was defeated 27-9 by Lake Erie Saturday afternoon.

Both defenses started strong, with neither team being able to maintain a drive in a scoreless first quarter.

The second quarter started similarly, but Lake Erie was able to get on the board with a field goal about midway through the frame. Later in the quarter, the Storm added to their lead with a 52-yard pick-six followed by an eight-play, 85-yard touchdown drive that made the halftime score 17-0.

Wesleyan finally broke through late in the third period. Using strong field position after a 19-yard return by Khalil James, the Panthers needed just four plays as Justus Werztler connected with DeMauriah Brown for a touchdown that cut the deficit to 17-7.

On the ensuing Storm possession, a bad snap on the attempted punt resulted in a safety that pulled the Panthers within one score at 17-9.

That was as close as Wesleyan would get. Lake Erie added a field goal and a late touchdown in the fourth quarter to put the game away.

Brown was the offensive bright spot with five receptions for 38 yards and his touchdown. Defensively, Jalon Baker once again led the way with 11 tackles and one tackle for loss. Nolan Forsha had a team-high two tackles for loss.

The Panthers next head home for their season finale on Saturday, November 15, against in-state rival Thomas More. Kickoff is set for 12:00 PM inside Steele Stadium.

Visit kwcpanthers.com/give today to make a gift to Kentucky Wesleyan Athletics! Gifts can be directed to general athletics, our athletic endowment, or any of our 14 NCAA Division II programs.

Stay up to date on all your Panther news by following @KWCPanthers on X and Instagram and by liking the "Kentucky Wesleyan College Athletics" Facebook page. Also, the Panthers Mobile App is available on iTunes and Android featuring real-time news alerts, schedules, exclusive multimedia content, gameday details and more.