The Saint Mary’s soccer team played two home matches over the weekend. Although they opened the weekend with a 3-0 loss to Franklin, the Belles were able to salvage the weekend with a 2-2 tie to Lake Forest. The Belles, 0-4-3, are approaching the mid-way point of the season looking for their first win of the year.
Despite the score against the Grizzlies, the Belles were able to hold the ball for a good portion of the first half. The first shot was only seven minutes into the game, by sophomore midfielder Izzi Linus.
There would be two shots on goal for the Belles, by sophomore midfielder Grace Barresi and sophomore forward Mary Kaczynski, before Franklin would have a chance. In the first half alone, there would be ten Saint Mary’s shots to Franklin’s one. And, by the end of the first half, the score was still tied 0-0.
Quickly into the second half, however, Grizzly Jaiden Baker found the back of the net, and kickstarted the momentum needed for a Franklin win. Again in the second half, the Belles outshot the Grizzlies eight to seven. But, the shots do not matter unless they can make their way past the goalie and into the net and the Belles failed to execute on this front. Franklin was able to add another goal to the score in the 65th minute.
While the Belles fought to at least earn a point, the clock ticked down. With less than three minutes to go, Franklin scored again, securing their 3-0 victory over the Belles.
Only two days later, on Sept. 15, the Belles were back at home facing Lake Forest. Unlike in their battle against the Grizzlies, the Belles did not hold the momentum in the first half against the Bears. Although Saint Mary’s ultimately had the first couple shots, Lake Forest would answer back almost immediately. For a majority of the first half, possession was switched frequently between the two teams. This was until Lake Forest's Anna Hoffman scored off of an assist from Caitlin Mulcahy. Now with a 1-0 lead, the Bears did not allow another shot from the Belles for the remainder of the half.
The second half opened up with a shot from the Bears, and a save from sophomore goalkeeper Kara Stacey. Stacey totalled four saves in the first half, and two in the second. For a majority of the second half, the Belles and the Bears went back and forth. It wasn’t until the 79th minute that another Lake Forest player Paityn Tabor scored. Unlike Thursday’s game, however, the Belles were not willing to let them keep their lead.
Only two minutes later, freshman midfielder Felicity Matthews found the back of the net assisted by Barresi. The Belles were inspired by their last goal, and less than two minutes after their first, junior forward Kaitlyn Day tied the score. However, there ultimately was not enough time for the Belles to score again, and they were left with another tie on their record.
The Belles look to turn their luck as they finish off a series of home games on Wednesday against Anderson. The two teams will face off with the match starting at 7 p.m.
Contact Olivia at oschatz@nd.edu
