The Belles picked up their third consecutive win Sunday when senior captain and midfielder Mollie Valencia converted a penalty kick in double overtime to give Saint Mary's a 1-0 win over Trine.
Senior forward Jordan Diffenderfer was fouled inside the 18-yard box, giving the Belles (5-4-3, 3-2-3 MIAA) the penalty kick opportunity that Valencia converted in the 103rd minute.
"There's a moment when you're awarded a penalty kick in sudden death overtime where you think you should have practiced them some more," Belles coach Michael Joyce said. "But Valencia has a number of successful kicks under her belt, so I wasn't concerned."
The Belles' game against Trine (2-8-0, 0-7-0) was their fifth overtime contest of the entire season, the most in one year the Belles have ever played.
Saint Mary's outshot Trine, 17-2, and had nine corner kicks against the Thunder's four but still couldn't score in regulation.
"Finishing a higher percentage of our chances is still not our strong point," Joyce said. "We'll just have to keep at it."
Belles junior goalkeeper ChanlerRosenbaum had a shutout in goal but only needed to make one save. Belles junior defender Kerry Green had two shots, and freshman forward Rosie Biehl had three against the Thunder.
Green was named the MIAA Defensive Player of the Week for strong performances against Adrian and Trine. The Belles shut out both opponents, and Green helped limit the two teams to a combined seven shots.
Biehl was named MIAA Offensive Player of the Week, as she led the Belles offense with nine shots on goal in the two games and scored against the Bulldogs.
The Belles will now wait until Saturday for their next game against Kalamazoo.
"With the long stretch between games, [we will] mix our practices up a bit to keep them sharp and engaged," Joyce said. "It should be a real boost for us, having a home game at the end of a free game week."
The Belles and the Hornets will kick off at Saint Mary's at noon Saturday.
Contact Meri Kelly at mkelly29@nd.edu
