Coming off a not-so-successful opening season tournament last weekend, Saint Mary's looks to channel its offensive prowess from last season and capture its first win of the 2008 campaign when it travels to face the Manchester College Spartans today.
Under first-year head coach Ryan Crabbe, the Belles struggled to score against the competition at the Case Western Invitational, dropping their first two matches of the season.
Against the Spartans, Saint Mary's looks to start anew and find its offense behind senior leadership like that of senior forward Lauren Hinton, the Belles' leading scorer last season.
"Lauren is one of the top offensive players in the entire league," Crabbe told the Saint Mary's athletic Web site. "She will definitely be looked upon for a scoring punch this season."
Hinton has 28 goals in her Saint Mary's career and has already recorded an assist this season.
"While some of our scoring talent may seem young or even inexperienced, I have no concern about our ability to put the ball in the net," Crabbe told the website.
Freshman Taylor Paton has already began to shine for the Belles, scoring in just her second career game.
If the Belles can find their offense early on in the season, they will put themselves in a favorable position when they begin MIAA conference play in a few weeks.
