The Belles lost their fifth straight game Wednesday when they were defeated 1-0 by conference rival Hope.
The Flying Dutch registered the only goal of the contest in the 11th minute when sophomore Alyson Epolito scored her fourth goal of the season. The Saint Mary's defense held strong after that goal, although Hope registered 22 more shots, five of which were on goal.
The Belles' best chance at getting on the board came in the 51st minute when Saint Mary's nearly tied the game up off of a corner kick from sophomore Maddie Meckes to junior Taylor Patton, but Patton's shot hit the cross bar and bounced away. Meckes, junior Katelyn Tondo-Steele and freshman Mollie Valencia also had shots on goal in the match.
Belles sophomore goalkeeper Caitlin Walsh had four saves in the losing effort.
Saint Mary's will return to its home field Friday when they take on Kalamazoo in hopes of ending their losing streak. The Hornets (5-6-2, 2-1-1 MIAA) hope to give the Belles a run for their money.
If the Belles are to have a shot at their third victory of the season, they must contain Kalamazoo's sophomore forward Jackie Short, who leads her team with seven goals this season.
The Belles will also need their defense to kick into gear and hold strong as they did Wednesday. With the exception of the Wednesday's shutout, the Belles offense has shown improvement as the season has worn on, but their defensive performances have suffered as they have given up 20 goals in the last five games.
Saint Mary's will kickoff against Kalamazoo at 4 p.m. on Friday.
