On Wednesday evening, Saint Mary’s picked up a win in dominating fashion on the road, as the Belles cruised to a 17-2 victory over the Concordia Chicago.
The game started off with a face-off win by Saint Mary’s freshman midfielder Kate Kelly, and the Belles took little time getting on the scoreboard as sophomore midfielder Clare Theisen buried a shot in the back of the net with barely over one minute on the clock. For Theisen, the opening score was her tenth goal of the season.
This set the tone for the entire game as the Belles (2-2) continued to dominate on face-offs throughout the entire game. Freshman attack Molly Stout netted her fourth goal of the season just a couple minutes later and her fifth goal ten minutes after that.
The next few minutes saw a barrage of goals by the Belles coming from Theisen, Kelly and junior attack Lauren Telford and sophomore attack Hanna Makowski. The struggles would continue to pile up for Concordia Chicago (0-7) as it faced difficulties gaining control of the ball, evidenced by the Belles’ 12-0 lead at the half.
Saint Mary’s tacked on another goal to start the second half to make it 13-0 before the Cougars finally got on the board. Seven different Belles were able to net at least one goal while four players scored at least three goals. Kate Kelly led the way with four goals while Theisen, Telford, and Makowski all added three goals. Freshman midfielder Rachael Leonard also tallied a school-record three assists in the win.
Ball possession was a key for the Saint. Mary’s victory. The Belles finished the game with 30-20 advantage in ground balls over the Cougars; the team also outshot its opponent 36-9 during the game.
Saint Mary's head coach Amy Long said she was pleased with her team’s performance.
“We played well last night,” Long said. “Many of the ideas and strategies we have been working on in practice were executed very well last night. Our motion on attack is looking much better and I was excited we had such a high scoring output. Our defense played a solid game and limited the scoring opportunities for Concordia Chicago, which made for a great night in goal for both of our goalies.”
The Belles were able to break a couple of records throughout the game, as the 15 goal differential marked the largest margin of victory in the program’s history. In addition, Saint Mary's 17 goals were the most scored in a single game, while the two goals against the team mark the fewest number of goals given up.
Following the victory, the Belles are now 2-2 on the year, and they will be looking to improve further as they head to Ohio Northern on Saturday.
“I expect our team to be challenged more than we were in last night's game,” Long said. “I also expect our team to rise to the challenge and play a great game against a stronger opponent.”
The game against the Polar Bears is set to begin at 1 p.m.
