Belles Topped by Titans
Saint Mary's Stories
- Erin Doyle led the Belles with five goals while also collecting four draw controls.
- Kate Kelly added a goal, two assists, five draw controls, and four ground balls.
- Kendra Osinski made eight saves in goal.
NOTRE DAME, Ind. - The Saint Mary's lacrosse team suffered their first setback of the season after falling in a 16-7 final against Illinois Wesleyan on Wednesday evening.
In a game where the scoreboard did not adequately reflect the play on the field, the Belles came up with three big defensive plays early in the contest. Clare Theisen and Kate Kelly each had a caused turnover to stop offensive chances for the Titans, and Kendra Osinski saved the first shot on goal she faced in the game as the game was scoreless more than six minutes into play. Kelly's caused turnover led to a good clear and an unassisted goal by Erin Doyle to put the Belles ahead 1-0 6:28 into play.
The Titans equalized on a free position goal three minutes later, but the Belles had a near-immediate response. Kate Kelly won the ensuing draw control, and the junior threaded a pass to Doyle for the freshman's second goal of the contest for the 2-1 lead. Clare Theisen had a shot on the next Saint Mary's possession go off the post. After turnovers by both sides, Illinois Wesleyan drew even at 2-2 with a goal 12:33 into the contest. Kendra Osinski came up with a big save on a free position shot, but the Titans regained the ball and pulled ahead 3-2 with 15:23 on the clock in the opening period.
Erin Doyle capped off the early hat trick and tied the game 1:21 later with a free position goal, but Illinois Wesleyan added a free position goal a short while later to make it a 4-3 game. Clare Theisen picked up a ground ball on the way to the Belles successfully clearing the ball into their offensive end, and Doyle sent home her fourth goal of the contest with 11:26 remaining in the half to make it 4-4.
Illinois Wesleyan regained the lead after picking up the ground ball after another save by Osinski and connecting on a quick pass-shot combination. The Titans took the first multi-goal lead almost three minutes later on another passing combination for a 6-4 advantage. As the game clock wound down late in the half, the Belles were in the midst of a strong defensive effort and forced the Titans into a pair of off-the-mark shots. With the possession clock below five seconds and Saint Mary's on the verge of forcing a turnover, an Illinois Wesleyan found some space through the defense and scored with 2:24 on the clock to make it a 7-4 game. Saint Mary's earned a pair of free position shots in the final minute of the half but were unable to capitalize as the score stood at 7-4 at halftime.
The Titans opened the second period with four goals in the first ten minutes of the half to establish an 11-4 lead. The Belles continued to battle, and Kelly connected again with a cutting Erin Doyle as the freshman registered her fifth goal of the game. Two minutes later, Raigan Althouse sent home a free position goal to make it an 11-6 game with 17:15 on the clock. Illinois Wesleyan, however, countered with a five-goal scoring spurt to go ahead 16-6. Kate Kelly found the back of the cage after maneuvering through the defense to cut the deficit to 16-7 with 3:12 remaining, but the Belles were unable to edge any closer as the game ended with that same score.
The Belles held a 31-28 edge over the Titans in ground balls while committing four fewer turnovers (26-30) in the game.
Erin Doyle led the Belles with five goals while also collecting four draw controls. Kate Kelly added a goal, two assists, five draw controls, and four ground balls. Raigan Althouse registered a goal and three ground balls. Rachael Leonard had a career-high seven ground balls while also collecting three caused turnovers. Clare Theisen posted four ground balls and three caused turnovers. Kendra Osinski made eight saves in goal.
The Belles (4-1) return to play on Saturday, March 24 when they travel to Carroll (Wisconsin) for a 5:00 p.m. CDT contest.