The Saint Mary’s Belles played at home Tuesday night where they demolished the Anderson Ravens 20-2 at home. The Belles did not hold back, as they had 37 shots while simultaneously holding the Ravens to only six.
While Anderson won the first face-off, the Belles did not let them have control for long. Within the first two minutes, sophomore attack Julia Gorski scored for the Irish. The second draw control would go to the Belles, but this would not last as a series of turnovers would occur and multiple shots would be taken by both teams. None would find the back of the net until four minutes later when senior midfielder Bridget Kane scored the Belles’ second goal. Kane won the third draw control and within 15 seconds Gorski scored again.
While the Ravens would score with a little more than six minutes left, this would be the first and only time they would score this quarter. This would be answered by senior midfielder, who would go on to score three goals in a row, one of which was assisted by senior attack Gabby Belsito. This would bring the Belles’ lead to 6-1 with a little over a minute to go. With only 15 seconds left in the quarter, Belsito would score once more to seal the score at 7-1 Belles.
Kane would open up for Saint Marys, and, within the first two minutes of the quarter, she would secure a hat trick, pushing the score 9-1. Senior defender Sarah Frick would score unassisted before another two by Kane and then one by Belsito. This would push their lead to 13-1 before the Ravens would secure a ground ball and a goal. This would be the last time Anderson would score in the game. Sophomore attack Katie Haas inhibited Anderson’s momentum as she drew a penalty and found the back of the net with only 50 seconds left in the half.
With a 14-2 lead going into the second quarter, the Belles would slow scoring but would not be stopped. Frick started off with an unassisted goal for Saint Mary’s within the first two minutes of play. While Frick did win the next draw control, they would eventually turn it over. The ball would shift possession until Kane would scoop up a ground ball. Eventually, junior attack Shannon McCloskey would score and bring the lead up to 16-2. With tensions running high, there would be five fouls within the next six minutes. Anderson would have their one and only shot this quarter, which would go wide. With three minutes left in the quarter, McCloskey would score again and it would be 17-2 going into the fourth quarter.
Within the first two minutes, the game would see two turnovers and a shot from freshman defender Valentina Rubio that Anderson goalie Madison Leonard would save. Haas would grab a ground ball which would initiate a Belles’ possession leading to a goal by freshman midfielder Erin Dotson. With seven minutes left, Belsito would score, bringing their lead to 19-2. After a few changes in possession and a successful clearance from the Belles freshman defender Christiana Singler would shoot. Although it was saved, Singler would immediately pick up the ground ball. With a little over two minutes left, Frick would score assisted by Haas, pushing their total lead to 20-2.
While the Belles’ attack did their job, so did their defense. With only one shot in the fourth quarter and a total of 29 ground balls to Anderson’s 19, Saint Mary’s defense was on their game Tuesday night. With a two-game home streak, the Belles hope to push this momentum into their third home game on Saturday, and then their fourth a week later on April 2. Saint Marys will host Concordia University Wisconsin at 1 p.m. Saturday.
