On senior day at Saint Mary’s, the Belles lost 2-1 in overtime against Adrian on Saturday afternoon.
Saint Mary’s (6-11-2, 4-9-2 MIAA) had some early chances to score — Adrian junior goalkeeper Lexi Lewandowski gathered an early free kick from Belles senior defender Kerry Green before senior Natalie Warner headed over the bar — but it was Adrian (9-8-3, 7-7-2) who was the first on the scoresheet after a pass from senior midfielder Sophie Rammal set MIAA-leading goalscorer and senior forward Erin Weide through on goal.
The Belles came close to equalizing when junior defender Lindsay Rzepecki hit the crossbar with a header after connecting from a corner taken by freshman midfielder Gabby Guerra while holding off multiple Adrian attacks, thanks in part to three saves early in the second half by senior goalkeeper Chanler Rosenbaum until they found an equalizer in the 56th minute.
Freshman midfielder Baylee Adams had her first shot from close range saved by Lewandowski, but Adams was the first to pounce on the rebound in a crowded six-yard box and was able to score on the second attempt for her first-ever collegiate goal.
With both teams looking for a winner late on in regulation, a pass from Belles senior midfielder Courtney Wright almost found sophomore forward Liza Felix, but the Bulldogs goalkeeper was able to get to the ball first. Adrian then had its chance when sophomore midfielder Sofia Farah shot over the Belles’ crossbar.
The last minutes of regulation saw end-to-end action as Felix found the ball in space on the edge of the penalty area only to find her shot pushed away before Adrian counterattacked and drew another save from Rosenbaum before shooting wide with their last opportunity of the 90 minutes.
Early in overtime, the Bulldogs had the better of the chances, and with just over a minute left in the first period, Adrian won the game with a powerful 35-yard strike from Rammal.
The Belles gave playing time to all nine seniors on their roster, including three different goalkeepers, who combined to make 10 saves.
Saint Mary’s will now look towards its final game of the season at Trine today at 3 p.m. The Thunder currently sit bottom of MIAA standings and were defeated by the Belles in the teams’ first meeting this year, at Saint Mary’s.
