NOTRE DAME, Ind. - The Saint Mary's lacrosse team (3-3) fought off a late push by visiting Concordia University Chicago to take an 11-8 home victory over the Cougars on a beautiful spring evening on Wednesday.

 

Both teams took some time to settle into the game as the two sides used long stretches of their possession clocks but were unable to score early in the contest. More than five minutes into play, the Belles broke through as a redefend-turned-possession opportunity by Julia Gorski saw the sophomore cause a turnover, get the ground ball, and score almost immediately for a 1-0 lead with 9:36 on the clock. A good chase on a shot by Saint Mary's a short while later led to a goal by Bridget Kane, and Christiana Singler put away a free position goal with just over five minutes remaining in the opening period for a 3-0 lead. The Belles then capitalized on a turnover by the Cougars as a feed by Lindsey Herdsman was converted into a goal by a cutting Shannon McCloskey for a 4-0 advantage.Concordia Chicago made the most of their next possession after winning the draw to get on the scoreboard for the first time in the game to make it 4-1 to wrap up the first-quarter scoring.

 

The Cougars struck first in the next quarter, but Valentina Rubio got the Belles back on the scoreboard after a ground ball and quick shot in the critical scoring area to make it 5-2 with 6:31 remaining in the period. Three consecutive goals by Concordia Chicago over the span of 1:53, however, tied the game at 5-5 with just over three minutes to play until halftime. Julia Gorski put away a shot off a pass from Christiana Singler late in the quarter to give the Belles a 6-5 lead going into the break.

 

Two quick goals by Bridget Kane and Gabby Belsito to open the third quarter pushed the advantage to 8-5 for the home side, and Belsito added another goal less than three minutes later as the Belles gained a 9-5 edge. Belsito then capped off the hat trick in the period with a free position goal with 4:43 on the clock to extend the lead to 10-5 for Saint Mary's. Alexis Fady collected a pair of saves over the final four minutes of the quarter, and the Belles carried the five-goal lead into the final stanza.

 

Concordia Chicago capitalized on a yellow card against the Belles early in the fourth quarter with a free position goal just 30 seconds into the period. Katie Haas then followed Julia Gorski's example from the first period with a caused turnover, ground ball, and close-range goal with 9:54 on the clock to put the Belles ahead 11-6. The battles in the midfield continued on throughout the fourth period, but both teams locked down defensively over the next eight minutes as neither side was able to find the back of the net. The Cougars made a late push with a goal with 1:30 to play before adding another goal 19 seconds later to make it an 11-8 game, but the Belles got a stop on defense and all but ran out the clock over the final minute of play for their first home win of the 2022 season.

 

Gabby Belsito scored a team-high three goals, and Bridget Kane had two goals, two assists, two caused turnovers, two draw controls, and four ground balls to help pace the Belles' efforts. Julia Gorski posted two goals and collected a pair of ground balls. Christiana Singler had a goal, an assist, and tallied three ground balls while Shannon McCloskey registered a goal, an assist, and two ground balls. Valentina Rubio had a goal and a game-high and career-best eight ground balls. Katie Haas added a goal and six ground balls. Lindsey Herdsman tallied an assist, and Sarah Frick had a team-high four draw controls. Alexis Fady made five saves in goal.

 

The Belles (3-3) are back at home for their next three contests. Saint Mary's hosts Anderson on Tuesday, March 22 at 6:00 p.m.