Belles Fall in Overtime Nail-Biter Against Knights

Box Score

• Erin Doyle led the Belles with five goals and an assist as the freshman also collected four ground balls and caused two turnovers.
• Kate Kelly had four goals, seven ground balls, and ten draw controls.
• Emily Kraker made 13 saves in goal for the Belles.

NOTRE DAME, Ind. - The Saint Mary's lacrosse team showed an immense amount of resilience but came up just short in a 16-15 overtime final against league-leading Calvin on Saturday afternoon.

Calvin forged a 3-0 lead through the opening 6:08 of play. Erin Doyle won the next draw control, and Hanna Makowski put a shot on goal only to have it saved in the circle. The Knights earned a free position attempt less than a minute later, but Emily Kraker came up with a save of her own. The Belles cleared the ball up the field, and Kate Kelly cut through the critical scoring area before finding the back of the cage to make it 3-1. A short while later, Caleigh Gainey caused a turnover, and Rachael Leonard picked up the ground ball to give the Belles possession. After a good clear and a wide shot by Kate Kelly, Saint Mary's won the chase to keep the ball. Erin Doyle dodged a defender before tallying her first goal of the game to pull the Belles within 3-2 with 19:41 on the clock.

The Knights responded with a goal 2:26 later as the Belles called their first timeout of the game. Kate Kelly then won the next draw control and played the ball ahead to Doyle. Doyle sent home her second goal of the game to make it 4-3. Clare Theisen drew a free position attempt on the next possession for the Belles, and the senior was true on her shot to knot the score at 4-4 with 16:09 remaining in the first period. Emily Kraker came up with another save, but the Belles were unable to clear the ball as the Knights quickly regained possession and scored to go up 5-4.

The Saint Mary's defense then blocked a shot, and Kraker made another save to keep it a one-goal game. Clare Theisen drew another free position and sent home her 30th goal of the season to tie the game 5-5 with 10:20 on the clock. Calvin came back with three consecutive goals over the next three minutes to gain an 8-5 advantage with just over five minutes remaining before halftime. Erin Doyle got the Belles back on track with a free position goal to cut the deficit to two. The Knights countered with a goal at the 1:57 mark, but the Belles ended the half by taking over a lot of the momentum. Kendra Osinski beat the goalie with a back-hand shot on a free position with under a minute left before the break. On the play, Calvin was whistled for a contact to the head yellow car. Kate Kelly took advantage of the player-up opportunity and scored her own free position goal with :32 on the clock to make it a 9-8 score at the half.

Calvin opened the second period with back-to-back goals, but the Belles continued to battle. Kate Kelly and Erin Doyle put back-to-back goal on the scoreboard for Saint Mary's to keep the Belles within striking distance. Calvin put together a quick passing combination which resulted in a goal, but Erin Doyle won the ensuing draw control before connecting on a pass to Kate Kelly to make the score 12-11 with more than 20 minutes still on the clock. Emily Kraker came up with another big save on a free position shot, and Kendra Osinski worked past a pair of defenders before scoring her second goal of the game to tie the score at 12-12.

The Knights regained the lead quickly and doubled their lead more than three minutes later. After the second goal of that short spurt, the Belles came right back with a quick goal of their own. Kate Kelly won the draw and played a pass ahead to Erin Doyle. Doyle cut through the defense and fired home her fifth goal of the game. Saint Mary's continued to put the pressure on the Calvin defense as Clare Theisen saw a shot on goal stopped by the goalie just before Doyle had a shot blocked in the critical scoring area. Doyle then ricocheted a shot off the post, and Molly Stout had a shot saved from close range. The Belles successfully fought off a one-minute green card before Hanna Makowski had a shot of her own saved with 7:56 on the clock. A turnover on a clear attempt a short while later resulted in a Calvin goal to make it a 15-13 score with 6:12 remaining in regulation.

Saint Mary's was far from finished, however, as the Belles came through with big plays at both ends of the field. Rachael Leonard caused a turnover and collected the ground ball to stop a scoring chance for the Knights. Two minutes later, Emily Kraker had yet another big save on a free position attempt by Calvin. The Knights were whistled for a delay of game green card, and the Belles capitalized on the player-up opportunity. Kendra Osinski earned a free position attempt, and she fired in her third goal of the game with 2:48 on the clock to make it 15-14. The Knights turned the ball over on their next possession, and Osinski came up with the game-tying goal with 1:48 remaining in regulation to knot the game at 15-15. Emily Kraker came up with a big save on a free position shot with under a minute remaining, but the Belles were unable to find the go-ahead goal in the final 30 seconds of the period as the game went to overtime.

Calvin won the draw and called a time out a minute later. The Knights gained a free position attempt, but Emily Kraker came up with yet another big save. Calvin kept the possession alive with a ground ball, but Kraker again had the answer with a save on a close-range shot. The Knights gained a second free position attempt, and this time Calvin capitalized with what was the game-winner 2:04 into the overtime period.

Erin Doyle led the Belles with five goals and an assist as the freshman also collected four ground balls and caused two turnovers. Kate Kelly had four goals, seven ground balls, and ten draw controls. Kendra Osinski added four goals, and Clare Theisen tallied two goals, five ground balls, and three caused turnovers. Caleigh Gainey posted three caused turnovers on the day. Emily Kraker made 13 saves in goal for the Belles.

Saint Mary's (10-4, 5-1 MIAA) travels to Adrian for a 6:00 p.m. contest against the Bulldogs on Wednesday, April 25.