Following a resounding 17-5 win against Anderson, Saint Mary’s women’s lacrosse faced off against North Central Illinois in their home opener Wednesday but took the close 13-9 loss.
The Cardinals started off the first quarter with three goals in the first three minutes, two from Annelise Oster and one from Abby MacKenzie. The Belles closed the scoring gap to 3-1 as sophomore attacker Rachel Speckhard found the back of the net.
After 11 scoreless minutes concluded the first quarter, North Central made it 4-1 early in the second thanks to a goal from Zoe Palm. Sophomore attacker Cate Krema responded with her first goal of the night to make the score 4-2. North Central came right back with a goal of their own before Krema and sophomore attacker Kathryn Kalinowski combined for the next three goals to tie the score 5-5. Crema grabbed two of them to secure a first-half hat trick. The Cardinals kept their offensive momentum, though, scoring the next two goals to retake a 7-5 lead. The Belles battled back once again, as sophomore attacker Lana Skibins and junior midfielder Mary Grace Heekin each scored their first of the day to knot the score at 7-7 going into the half.
In a lower-scoring third quarter, North Central added on a goal from Rachel Lawrence approaching the nine minute mark. After six scoreless minutes, North Central picked the pace back up as Palm scored and Lawrence scored again to keep North Central ahead 10-7. In the final minute of the quarter, Speckhard added on a goal for the Belles to cut the deficit to two entering the final frame.
The fourth quarter looked similar to the third, as it was also low scoring. North Central added on the first goal of the quarter to bring the score to 11-8, but a quick response from the Belles through Speckhard's third goal of the day made the score 11-9. The Belles comeback attempt would fall short, as North Central added some insurance with just under five remaining, before scoring one more with zeroes on the clock, making the final score 13-9.
Speckhard and Krema led the Belles, both finishing the game with hat tricks. As Saint Mary’s falls to 2-5 on the season, they now turn their focus to Wisconsin-Stevens Point on March 29 for senior night.
