Box Score

Gaffney, S.C. – Amidst a brutal winter snow storm blowing through the southern United States, #20 Grand Valley State suffered their second loss of the season in a 10-4 decision to the fifth-ranked Lady Saints of Limestone.
 
The first goal of the afternoon didn't come until 17:28, the first of five consecutive Limestone (2-0, 1-0 CC) goals and the first of three goals from free-position attempts in the first half. Sophomore Erika Neumen got GVSU on the board with 3:20 left in the first half off a pass from senior Sarah Lowe, but the Lady Saints put another into the back of the net with over a minute remaining to bring the score to 6-1 at halftime with Limestone on top.
 
Limestone opened the second half with another free-position goal at 27:52 before making it 8-1 at 17:38. Zoe Stiemann tallied an unassisted goal three minutes later to make it a seven-goal deficit for the Lakers. The teams traded goals for the remainder of the half, with Neumen notching her second goal of the contest at 10:39 off a Ryan Skomial feed and Rachel Leibovitz scoring an unassisted goal with 3:52 of the game. The Lakers had their chances, but untimely turnovers and a stingy Lady Saint defense prevented any more scoring chances as the clock ran out in the game.
 
The snowy conditions limited the Laker and the Lady Saint offenses, two of the highest scoring units in 2014, to only 14 total goals and 30 combined shots. The weather also played havoc with the Grand Valley State offense in the turnover department, as GVSU committed 15 unforced errors and 25 total giveaways. And while the Laker defense prevented any easy goals and limited an offense that scored 20 goals just one game prior to only 10, they did commit 26 fouls that led to Limestone receiving seven free-position attempts. Of the seven attempts, the opposition was able to capitalize on five of them.
 
Neumen's two goals led the Lakers for the second consecutive game, while Skomial and Lowe tied the team-lead with one assist apiece. Carolyn Kraus had a team-high three draw controls and game-best eight ground balls, while also tying Stiemann with two caused turnovers. Her eight loose ball pick-ups tied her for the third most in a single game in Laker history. In goal, Sarah Zwilsky picked up the loss with five saves and three ground balls.
 
For the Lady Saints, Taylor Cline scored a hat-trick to lead the team in scoring, and Shannon Sisk recorded Limestone's only assist on the afternoon. Jessica Riggell caused a game-high six turnovers in the Limestone victory, while Sydney Teeter made one save in the team's win.
 
Grand Valley State won't have another game until March 3 when they travel to Rochester, N.Y. for a non-conference game against Roberts Wesleyan at 4 p.m. The Lakers are 2-0 all-time against the Redhawks.