Belles Battle Tough Against Vikings
Saint Mary's Stories
- Lexi Trombly led the Belles with two shots.
- Maya Cole and Kellen Hinchey each registered a shot.
- Thallia Robles made eight saves.
NOTRE DAME, Ind. - The Saint Mary's soccer team held their ground against an undefeated side from Augustana in a 3-0 loss at home on Saturday.
The visiting Vikings struck early as Augustana cleaned up a loose ball in the box in the second minute of play for a 1-0 lead. Saint Mary's, however, battled toe-to-toe against Augustana over the remainder of the first half of play. In the ninth minute, the Belles had their first scoring chance of the day as Lindsey Herdsman played a ball from the left side of the field into the box on the right side for Sophie Bubnar. Bubnar settled the ball, cut up the field, and played a ball back toward the goal for Lexi Trombly. Trombly found herself with some space inside the six-yard box, but headed the cross wide left of the goal frame.
Less than three minutes later, Bubnar worked her way around a defender near the end line and sent another ball into the box. Madison Jurgovan was in the area but was shielded by a defender and could not get a touch on the ball. Barely a minute later, Maya Cole had a well-struck mid-range shot saved low near the right post.
The Belles continued to find chances to put pressure on the Vikings' defense throughout the half. With under 22 minutes remaining on the clock, Kellen Hinchey found herself with the ball and some space less than 25 yards away from goal. The junior captain got behind a strong, slightly bending shot dip toward the right post, but the Vikings' goalkeeper was up to the task of collecting the save. With less than seven minutes to play in the period, Saint Mary's looked to have a breakaway opportunity as a defensive miscue saw a mis-hit ball that was intended to be dropped back for the goalkeeper turn into a chance for Lexi Trombly. Trombly quickly picked up the loose ball at the edge of the 18-yard box and took a touch before getting off a shot before the defense could drop back. The strike, however, bent too far and went wide left of goal as the score stood at 1-0.
The Vikings doubled their lead in the 57th minute off of a set piece opportunity. A free kick from the sideline was dropped into the box, and an Augustana player was able to send a high-arcing header just inside the right post for a 2-0 advantage. The visiting Vikings made it 3-0 with a goal in the 79th minute for the 3-0 final margin.
Lexi Trombly led the Belles with two shots while Maya Cole and Kellen Hinchey each registered a shot. Thallia Robles made eight saves.
The Belles (1-3) are back in action on Tuesday, September 11 when they host Hanover at 6:00 p.m.