September 3, 2025 – Spencer, IA— Iowa Lakes Community College fought to an impressive 3–2 loss today, showcasing offensive firepower and strong team chemistry from start to finish. 

The Lakers set the pace of the game early, striking the post just five minutes into the match. After a corner kick Caitlin Mann flipped the ball over her shoulder hitting the post. In the 15th minute Iowa Western grabbed the momentum, with a counterattack, the ball was sent to Honoka Nohara who made a great touch that drew in three defenders, then was able to slip a pass to the striker on the second touch who scored. The rest of the half was controlled by Iowa Western who got 14 shots with 6 on goal, the Lakes could only manage one more shot in the half for three total in the half. 

The second half saw the Lakers reestablish their attack. In the 48th minute, Emma Fournie struck with a ball chipped over the keeper from 30 yards out, leveling the game. It stayed that way until a scramble in front of the laker net ended in an own goal in the 71st minute. But the Lakers would not go quietly into the cool September night. Just 3 minutes later Stina Mathews was able to volley the ball out of the air finding a streaking Ana Zamorano who drew four defenders into a chase, then at the last second slid the ball to Miu Kamei who has made a 35 yard run on the back side, she scored and tied the game for the second time. The scoring was capped in the 81st minute, as Nohara netted a goal from a tight angle slamming the ball into the top shelf. 

This was the first time in over a decade that the Lakers have scored on the team from Counsil Bluffs, last year they lost 2-0 and had zero shots on goal, the year before they lost 11-0. 

The depth of the D1 #7 ranked Iowa Western was evident as they made substitutions without dropping the level. However, the D2 #14 ranked Iowa Lakes team gave everything and made a great game out of it.  

In a Women's home game special, with no Men's game after and an unusual 6:00 PM start. The crowd was rowdy led by the men's team. Also, it was a chance for more of the Iowa lakes employees to come watch their team.    

Player Spotlight: Honoka Nohara 

Nohara was the most influential player among the visitors. She popped up almost everywhere on the pitch. She played center mid but had the freedom to go where needed. On the first goal she sucked her defender in by checking to the ball, then sprinting up the field for a pass from the back line, two touches later she sent the striker in on goal. On the game winning goal, she ran into the corner, made a great move around her defender and just inside the area, 5 yards from touch she was able to hit the ball onto the top shelf of the goal just over the keepers' hands. 

With the loss, Iowa Lakes drops to 3–2 overall. The Lakers will face another tough test on Wednesday against Indian Hills (3-1) in another key early-season matchup.