Coming off of a 2-1 loss against Hope, Saint Mary’s suffered its second straight defeat with a 1-0 overtime loss on its home turf to Albion on Wednesday.
Albion (6-3-1, 2-3-1 MIAA) kept control of the ball throughout the first 10 minutes of play, but Saint Mary’s (3-6,1-4) was able to endure the pressure and take charge later in the half.
Belles junior midfielder Kathryn Lueking and senior defender Kerry Green both attempted shots on goal to close out the first half.
The Belles came back in the second half reenergized, but they couldn’t produce results on the scoreboard, and the game went into overtime. Toward the beginning of overtime, Saint Mary’s was whistled for a foul less than a yard outside the 18-yard box. Seizing the opportunity, the Brits took a strong shot that found its way just inside the left post to give Albion the goal and game winner in the 92nd minute of play.
Despite the loss, Belles senior goalkeeper Chanler Rosenbaum produced seven saves in goal.
10 fouls, however, kept the Belles from capitalizing on offense throughout the match.
“Our biggest challenge was creating good shooting opportunities,” Belles coach Michael Joyce said. “A lot of crosses we sent in weren't quite on the mark, we had some long range shots that were too soft and we threw balls too long. We honestly just needed a little better quality around their box.”
Though coming out strong in the second half, Saint Mary’s could not maintain its aggression, Joyce said.
“I really thought we had Albion on the ropes for most of the second half, but we just couldn’t put a goal away,” Joyce said.
With the absence of senior starters forward Kelly Wilson and defenders Mary Kate Hussey and Abby Garcia against Albion, the Belles had to substitute more frequently than usual.
“We had to rely on a number of players today with some of our starters being out,” Joyce said. “Although we came up short, I thought a lot of players stepped up and contributed well — it was a good team effort. We'll just have to produce a winning final result next game.”
The Belles return to action Saturday when they travel to Olivet for another conference matchup. Kickoff is scheduled for noon.
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