Saint Mary's fell victim to a tremendous individual effort Sunday, as Marian freshman Samantha Cook netted a hat trick to hand the Belles their fourth straight loss, 6-2.
Sophomore Maddie Meckes and junior Taylor Patton each scored for the Belles.
"We started off very poorly, which I'm very disappointed about. Usually we start off very well," Joyce said.
Belles coach Michael Joyce credited their slow start to the four goals they gave up in the opening twenty minutes of the match.
"After a couple of very early goals we were deflated and our poor play continued on through most of the first half," Joyce said. "It was tough to break that until halftime when we could step back and regroup."
The Belles outscored the Knights 2-1 in the after halftime, and Joyce said he does see some positives that can be taken out the Belles' play in the second half.
"There is some consolation in a good second half," Joyce said. "We are a young team so you have to take advantage of game opportunities to build chemistry and improve as a team. We're also a team that never stops working, which I'm very proud of."
Joyce said he saw some glimpses that his team is turning the corner, but they just cannot seem to put a full game together.
"We struggle with putting a solid 90 minutes together — we usually have a good half or maybe a solid 65 minutes, but we fall off at some point," Joyce said. "We struggle with maintaining focus and intensity."
The Belles' next game is Wednesday at 5 p.m. at Hope College.
