SEWANEE, Tenn. - The Saint Mary's lacrosse team had trouble getting the offense to start  as the host Tigers outscored the Belles 10-2 in the first half on their way to a 16-9 final.

 

Sewanee used a 4-0 scoring margin over the first 15 minutes of action to build a lead as the fog rolled in and out of the stadium on Monday night. The Tigers got a pair of early goals, added a third midway through the period, and notched a late goal as the Belles stayed right in the mix. Katie Haas had a pair of shots saved, and Lindsey Herdsman's free position attempt late in the quarter was turned away by the Tigers' goalie.

 

A pair of quick goals in succession pushed the home side's lead to 6-0, but the Belles began to build some momentum after Haas scored on a player-up opportunity with 10:25 on the clock. Both teams battled back-and-forth, but it would be Sewanee who would be able to find the back of the net as the Tigers pushed their advantage to 9-1 with 3:05 remaining before halftime. Erin Dotson buried a free position goal less than a minute later, but the Tigers added a late goal to their tally for a 10-2 halftime lead.

 

Sewanee put two goals on the scoreboard for a 12-2 lead two-and-a-half minutes into the third period, but the Belles continued to fight. Gabby Belsito got into the scoring column to stop the running clock, and Christiana Singler nearly made it an eight-goal game as the freshman had a good shot go off the crossbar as the Belles dialed up the defensive pressure. The Tigers got a goal back with under seven minutes on the clock before a redefend and caused turnover by Shannon McCloskey led to a Katie Haas goal with under five to go in the third. The Belles used another defensive stop and ground ball pickup by Julia Gorski to get a goal, this time with Valentina Rubio finding the back of the net late in the quarter.

 

Saint Mary's then went on to out-score Sewanee by a 4-3 margin over the final 15 minutes of play. Erin Dotson scored a free position goal less than six minutes into the fourth quarter before adding a second free position goal with just over six minutes to play. Gabby Belsito registered a goal on a player-down situation as the Belles worked to fight off the yellow card scenario late in the contest. Sarah Frick then scored just before the final buzzer as late pressure by Saint Mary's yielded their ninth goal in the 16-9 final.

 

Erin Dotson led the Belles with three goals and five draw controls on the night. Katie Haas added two goals, an assist, five ground balls, and a game-high six draw controls as Saint Mary's held the 15-13 edge in draws in the contest. Sarah Frick registered the first multi-goal game of her career with a pair of goals on just two shots. Gabby Belsito chipped in a goal, two assists, three ground balls, and four draw controls. Shannon McCloskey and Valentina Rubio each posted two caused turnovers, and Rubio had a team-high seven ground balls. Alexis Fady made four saves over the first 40-plus minutes of play. Emma Zmudzinski closed out the final 19-plus minutes of the contest and collected five saves in goal.

 

The Belles (2-2) will take on Gwynedd Mercy on Wednesday at 11:00 a.m. CST at Sewanee.