Saint Mary's (3-6-1) was able to split the two games it played over the weekend, defeating cross-town rival Bethel on Friday and falling to Marian University on Saturday.
The Belles were able to surpass their win total from last season with a 2-1 victory over the Pilots on Friday to open their tournament.
"I feel like we have all reached a new level of comfort with each other," senior goalie Patty Duffy said. "We still learn new things about our coaches and our teammates all the time, but now we don't have to waste time trying to read our teammates or Coach. We know what his expectations are now, we just have to challenge ourselves to meet them."
Both teams played a tight game in the first half until first year Alexa Ahern was able to score with less than three minutes to go before the half.
Junior Carissa Hart was able to notch the only other goal for the Belles to secure the win.
Duffy had five saves for the Belles in the victory though she only played 45 minutes. Adele Bruggeman notched a pair of saves herself to wrap up the game.
While the Belles offense was not able to put any balls in the net against Marian, they did make a strong showing in the game registering more shots, shots on goal and corner kicks than Marian.
However, the Belles were not able to capitalize on the opportunities as well as Marian did throughout the game.
The Knights were able to score on a pair of corner kick headers in the 19th and 22nd minutes and then again in the 39th minute to make the final score 3-0.
The Belles came out stronger in the second half as they only allowed two shots on goal, but were not able to overcome the Knights' defense to get any goals themselves.
Bruggeman was able to make her first start, before being replaced by Duffy for the second half of the game. Bruggeman picked up a save in the first half, and Duffy recorded two more in the second half to lead the defense.
Saint Mary's will open the MIAA portion of their schedule on Wednesday at Adrian College.
"I think the key for us this season, especially the MIAA portion of the season, is to hold our teammates and ourselves accountable," Duffy said. "We know each other and the team is closer this year, but we still need to keep working to get to the point where we know for a fact that each and every one of us is going to give it their all for the team. If we come out and honestly do that for every game it will be hard not to find success."
