Saint Mary's came out on top of a local rivalry this weekend when they earned a 1-0 victory against Bethel College. The promising win, marked by superior defense, gives the team a solid basis to build on as the season progresses.
The Belles (1-0) limited the Pilots (2-1) to nine shots on the game - just four of which were on goal - keeping Bethel off the scoreboard and making the job easy for sophomore goalkeeper Chanler Rosenbaum.
Heading into half, the game was scoreless, and both sides had six shots. The Belles had many close scoring opportunities in the first half of the game but came up short each time.
After the half, the close game shifted completely in the Belles' favor. The Belles maintained ball possession for much of the second half and did not allow a shot on goal for the last 25 minutes of the game. The game-winning goal came in the 55th minute of the competition as junior forward Kaitlin Teichman gave the Belles the edge.
Teichman's early second half goal came after sophomore midfielder Courtney Wright crossed the ball to Teichman in the middle of the penalty area. Teichman slotted the ball just inside the right post to give St. Mary's the advantage.
Teichman's goal was the only shot the Belles put in the back of the net on the game, despite their 15 total shots, seven of which were on goal.
After its dominant opening win, Saint Mary's will return to the field at Holy Cross on Tuesday at 5 p.m. for their last game before beginning conference play.
