After three long months of close games and near-victories, Saint Mary’s ended its inaugural varsity season with an overall record of 2-13 and a 1-7 mark in the MIAA.
The Belles’ first win in program history came in their first home game on April 5 against Illinois Tech. The Belles jumped out to an early lead and never looked back, taking the victory, 16-4.
The Belles’ lone conference victory of the season came against Trine on April 18. First-year midfield Aubrey Golembieski scored the game-winning goal in overtime to propel Saint Mary’s to a 9-8 win. Golembieski led the team this season with 39 goals and had an individual shots-on-goal percentage of .818.
The Belles closed out their season with a 24-6 loss to Alma at home on April 26.
Despite concluding the season with a losing record overall and in MIAA play, Belles coach Amy Long said her players kept their heads up and focused on strengthening the team’s foundation.
“I am so incredibly proud that our players kept a positive attitude in our final games of the season and continued to play with pride,” Long said. “I’m sure it is frustrating for the girls to lose so many games in a season, so to see them still give their all and play in high spirits is just wonderful.”
As the program looks ahead to next season, Long said she believes the team’s positive camaraderie will help the Belles progress.
“I am looking forward to having a larger team next season,” Long said. “We will have eight to 10 incoming freshman on the team, and I know that our players are looking forward to the growth of our program. It will be great to have [substitutes] for our games and have our players push each other even more next season. Overall, I am incredibly optimistic that we will be able to have a winning season next year.”
