The Belles are hoping to start off the second half of their season the same way they started off the first half - with a win against Adrian.After exploding for eight goals in Tuesday's 8-1 win over Tri-State University, Saint Mary's will look to continue their strong play when they face Adrian at home on Saturday."This is our second game against Adrian, and they're coming to us this time," coach Caryn MacKenzie said. "It's nice to have the advantage of two home games in a row; this is the only time all year that happens."While the Belles sit in second place in the MIAA standings, Adrian is at the bottom, having not won a single game all year. In their first meeting back on Sept. 11, the Belles looked good all around in a 3-0 shutout. "We're feeling confident coming off Tuesday's win; we're just going to have to play our kind of soccer on our field," MacKenzie said. "Adrian's going to have to bring a different look than what they showed us earlier in the year."One of the keys to Tuesday's win was the strong play of the bench, which continued to build the team's lead as almost every player made it onto the field. The Belles will look for similar play against Adrian on Saturday."We've had a lot of tight games; it's not often we get to empty the bench, to let the kids who work equally hard in practice get on to the field," MacKenzie said. "The great thing about this team is its cohesion; the players who start and the ones who are supporting from the sidelines are all on the same page. The bench players have been awesome in accepting their roles, and making the most of their time on the field."It has been that cohesion, which had been missing in past years, that has pushed the Belles to a higher level this season."We're not going to win the MIAA without utilizing our players," MacKenzie said. "Having only the 11 players on the field is not going to win this conference. It's important that all these kids get some experience and the opportunity to develop so that they can get in the flow."No matter who makes it on to the field on Saturday, the Belles hope they can continue their recent surge in scoring. Tuesday's eight goals equaled the total combined scoring of the previous five games for Saint Mary's, but they will face a talented goalie tandem on Saturday."They [Adrian] are a pretty good squad, and made us work hard last time, but their goalies are their strength," MacKenzie said. "Their goalies played terrific games against us the first time. We probably had 30 shots on goal against them last time, and we were only able to score three goals. We'll need to figure out how to put the ball in the back of the net."As the Belles open up the second half of their season, they will look to be more consistent in their scoring than they were in the first half in order to have a shot at the MIAA crown."The results ... the other day will help motivate our kids to find the back of the net," MacKenzie said. "We don't want to get urgent, but hopefully the Tri-State game will give us the confidence we need ... to score."
