Belles Battle in Setback Against Comets
Saint Mary's Stories
- Molly Murphy registered a brace with her first two career goals for the Belles.
- Lua Derakshani and McKenna O'Shea each tallied an assist.
- Hannah Fisher made eight saves in the second half.
OLIVET, Mich. - The Saint Mary's soccer team continued to fight to the end in a 7-2 loss against Olivet on Wednesday evening.
Moments after the opening whistle, Callie Doyle tested the Comets' goalkeeper with a shot on goal only to have the effort stopped with a save. Olivet scored a goal in the third minute and added a second goal in the 10th minute of play. McKenna O'Shea registered a shot for the Belles, but her strike went above the crossbar for the Olivet goal kick.
The host Comets added five goals to their total over the remainder of the opening half of play and held a 7-0 advantage at the break.
The Belles, however, came out of halftime ready to win the second period of play. Hannah Fisher made five saves in the opening 23 minutes of the second half. A quick flurry of shots were then stopped by both Fisher and Callie Doyle with a defensive save to keep the Comets off the scoreboard in the 69th minute of action.
Brianna Smith had a shot on goal saved in the 79th minute as Saint Mary's gained momentum late in the period. Molly Murphy had a shot go wide right a few minutes later as the offense picked up steam. After an offside whistle against the Belles, Saint Mary's regained possession, and Murphy sent home her first collegiate goal on an assist from Lua Derakshani in the 86th minute. With the clock winding down, Fisher came up with her eighth save of the half and helped the side turn defense into offense. That stop eventually led to a pass by McKenna O'Shea and a second goal by Murphy with just 41 seconds remaining in the contest to make it a 7-2 final.
Molly Murphy registered a brace with her first two career goals for the Belles. Lua Derakshani added her first point with an assist, and McKenna O'Shea tallied her first assist of the season. Hannah Fisher made eight saves in the second half while Thallia Robles collected six saves in the opening period.
The Belles (1-10, 0-9 MIAA) return home to host Kalamazoo on Saturday, October 7 for a noon contest.