Belles Offense Iced at North Central
Saint Mary's Stories
- Kate Kelly scored a pair of goals in the loss for the Belles.
- Mary Grace Heller tallied her first goal of the season.
- Anna Perry added the first goal of her collegiate career.
NAPERVILLE, Ill. - The Saint Mary's lacrosse team was held to a season-low total in scoring in an 18-4 loss at North Central on a snowy Saturday afternoon.
The Cardinals were able to set the tone early against the Belles. North Central won the opening draw and scored just 36 seconds into the contest. The Cardinals tallied five more goals through the first 11:05 of play to mount a 6-0 lead.
Katlynn Dee caused a turnover a short while later, and Kate Kelly had a shot on goal turned aside before finding the back of the net to make it a 6-1 game with 17:03 left in the first period.
North Central, however, regained the momentum with a quick goal before adding to the lead and taking a 15-1 lead into the halftime break.
The second half was a different story on both ends of the field for the Belles. The Cardinals scored the opening goal of the second period, but the Belles came right back with a goal less than two minutes later when Mary Grace Heller netted her first goal of the year.
The Saint Mary's defense was solid and held the Cardinals without a shot for nearly 12 minutes throughout the second half. Cara Givens made a save on a shot with more than 16 minutes left on the clock. The defense then blocked a shot half a minute later, and the Belles forced the Cardinals into a poor shot with just over 12 minutes remaining in regulation.
That solid stretch of defense helped lead to successful offense for Saint Mary's. Clare Theisen and Kate Kelly each got off shots before Kelly found the back of the net once again with 6:18 remaining in regulation. Less than two minutes later, a sustained stretch of offense yielded Anna Perry's first collegiate career goal with 4:20 on the clock. North Central added two late goals, but the sides played to an even 3-3 second period of play.
Kate Kelly netted a pair of goals to lead the Belles. Mary Grace Heller added her first goal of the season, and Anna Perry tallied her first career goal in the contest.
The Belles (3-5) open conference play on Wednesday, April 6 when they host Adrian at Saint Joseph High School at 5:00 p.m.