Belles Stung by Hornets

Box Score

• Thallia Robles made 15 saves in goal for the Belles.
• Nine of those saves came in the first half as the score stood at 0-0 at the break.
• Liza Felix was credited with the Belles' lone shot of the contest.

KALAMAZOO, Mich. - The Saint Mary's soccer team fell in a 5-0 final against Kalamazoo on Monday evening.

The Belles' defensive group was tested from the early moments of the game, and the back five held their own throughout much of the contest to keep Saint Mary's in the contest until late. The Hornets registered 11 shots through the first 25 minutes of play. Thallia Robles pushed four of those attempts aside while the Belles' four defenders kept Kalamazoo from getting the other seven shots on goal.

Kalamazoo continued to press, and Saint Mary's continued to have an answer in the backfield. Robles added five more saves in the opening period of play while the defense continued to dig in their heels to keep the Hornets at bay over the first 45 minutes of action. The best chance for Saint Mary's came in the 39th minute when Liza Felix got off a shot, but the senior's strike was wide and off the mark.

Robles and company continued to stand strong and hold off the Hornets' offensive pressure through the opening 22 minutes of the second half. The freshman goalkeeper added four more saves to her total before Kalamazoo was able to sneak a shot off the far post and in 67 minutes into the contest. The Hornets added to their lead fewer than four minutes later on a penalty kick. Kalamazoo went on to add three more strikes for the 5-0 lead with under ten minutes to play.

Saint Mary's continued to battle and fought for chances to push the pressure high up the field against the Hornets. One of the best chances of the second period came with just over two minutes remaining in regulation. Shayleigh O'Donnell blocked down an effort by the Kalamazoo defense to clear the ball along the right flank. Jennifer Buck immediately picked up possession and played a pass into some space in the middle of the field for Kellen Hinchey. Just as the freshman was getting ready to make contact with what looked to be a dangerous shot from the top of the 18-yard box, a Kalamazoo player came in for a 50-50 challenge and was able to play the ball up the field in the other direction.

Thallia Robles made 15 saves in goal for the Belles. Liza Felix was credited with the Belles' lone shot of the contest.

The Belles (1-4, 0-3 MIAA) travel to in-state MIAA rival Trine on Thursday for a 4:00 p.m. contest against the Thunder.