The Saint Mary’s Belles women’s soccer team will search for their first win of the nascent season Wednesday, in their road contest against the Aurora University Spartans.
Last season, the Belles were 2-0 with six goals scored heading into Aurora, and they then continued their success with a convincing 2-0 victory. This year, they are 0-1-1, with just a single goal through two non-conference games.
The lack of production from a relatively young starting lineup is not for a lack of trying. However, the Belles have registered an alarming 23 shots on goal through their first two matches, an average of 11.5 per game. As a group, the team is shooting at 4.3% (1/23), a number the Belles will likely need to improve if they want a winning record. The slump also coincides with their dry stretch on corner kicks, as the Belles are 0/11 in total.
Saint Mary’s lone goal scorer right now is senior forward Jillian Bowen. She delivered a strike from 20 yards out in the minute 28 against Concordia University of Chicago, assisted by junior defender Holly Skrip.
On the other side, Aurora University will also be looking for its first win of the season after stumbling to their own 0-1-1 start. The Spartans have yet to muster a single goal in their first two games, losing 1-0 to North Central and tying North Park University 0-0. Their goalkeeper, Kelsey Deck, has been busy, making 18 saves and allowing just a single goal past her in the early stages of the 2022-23 campaign.
Offensively, the Spartans will turn to senior midfielder Jessica Mirsky. Mirsky leads the club with three shots through two games, and she is the only player on the roster with multiple shots thus far.
The Spartans are led by two freshman forwards: Sydney Kranick and Emma Dyer. Together, they have more than 100 total minutes and have combined their stats for just two shots and one on goal.
Both the Saint Mary’s Belles and the Aurora Spartans will look to shed their early-season scoring woes at 8 p.m. Eastern kick off, as the sqauds search for their first win of the season.