NOTRE DAME, Ind. - The Saint Mary's lacrosse team used an 8-0 third quarter to turn the tide against Trine and take their second-consecutive MIAA Tournament Championship with a 19-15 win on Saturday night.

 

The offense for both teams was non-stop through the first five minutes of the contest as the sides combined for ten goals through 5:39 of action. Saint Mary's struck first with back-to-back goals by Bridget Kane and Gabby Belsito within 20 seconds of one another. Trine responded with two consecutive goals of their own in a 37-second stretch, but Shannon McCloskey regained the lead for the home side off of a pass from Erin Dotson. Katie Haas then had the response goal for Saint Mary's a short while later after burying a shot off of a feed from Bridget Kane to make it a 4-3 game. Trine put two goals on the scoreboard before Bridget Kane knotted the game at 5-5 after maneuvering her way through the Trine defense for a goal. The Thunder regained the lead four minutes later with a free position goal for a 6-5 advantage with 5:14 on the clock. Katie Haas quickly responded with a goal, and Christiana Singler put away a free position goal just 33 seconds later, and the Belles used three defensive stops - including two saves by Alexis Fady - to carry that 7-6 lead into the second quarter.

 

Both teams settled into the game as defense took over in the second quarter. Bridget Kane gave Saint Mary's an 8-6 lead on a free position goal 3:31 into the period, but the Trine goalie had a pair of saves to keep the Belles from extending the lead. Trine capitalized on a free position goal midway through the quarter, and the Thunder drew even at 8-8 with a goal with 5:16 on the clock. Trine came away with the next draw and took the lead seconds later for a 9-8 advantage. Both sides came up with big defensive plays over the final four-plus minutes of the quarter as Trine held a one-goal lead at the halftime break.

 

The third quarter, however, was all Saint Mary's. Alexis Fady started the stanza with a goal, and Erin Doston put away a goal off of a pass from Gabby Belsito to tie the game just 1:38 into the period. Christiana Singler kept a possession alive with a ground ball, and Sarah Frick put the Belles ahead with a goal moments later. Fady picked off a pass on Trine's next possession, and Dotson found the back of the net on a free position goal to make it 11-9. Bridget Kane won the next draw control before Frick scored on a free position chance to continue to build the momentum for the home side. Trine used a timeout to try to slow down Saint Mary's, but two more saves by Fady were followed by Gabby Belsito goal to make it 13-9. Fady tacked on another save, and the Belles used their speed on transition to score a player-down goal as Shannon McCloskey put away a close-range shot. Saint Mary's added a second player-down goal less than a minute later, and the Belles capped off the scoring in the quarter with an absolutely lights-out goal by Gabby Belsito off of a feed from Kane for the 16-9 advantage.

 

Trine got back on the scoreboard early in the fourth quarter with a quick goal. Kane, though, came away with a clutch draw control, and Belsito tallied another goal for the 17-10 lead. Sarah Frick struck again, and the Belles threatened to get the running clock as Kane put away a player-up goal for a 19-10 advantage with 12:11 remaining. The Trine side continued to battle to the final whistle as the Thunder put up the next five goals, but the Belles' lead proved to be insurmountable as Saint Mary's captured the MIAA Tournament Championship .  

 

Bridget Kane had a strong all-around game to lead the Belles to their second NCAA Tournament appearance as the senior captain posted four goals, five assists, four ground balls, six draw controls, and three caused turnovers. Gabby Belsito added four goals, an assist, three ground balls, two draw controls, and a caused turnover. Erin Dotson notched three goals, an assist, six draw controls, and two ground balls while Sarah Frick had three goals and a pair of draw controls. Shannon McCloskey and Katie Haas each tallied two goals as McCloskey collected a caused turnover. Christiana Singler had a goal and three ground balls in the win.

 

The defensive trio of Valentina Rubio, Elizabeth Bourassa, and Lindsey Herdsman continued to be key to the Belles' success. Rubio had four ground balls, a caused turnover, and was key to the Belles' 17-of-21 clear effort. Bourassa added three ground balls and a caused turnover. Herdsman tallied a ground ball and a caused turnover on the night. Alexis Fady, meanwhile, posted 11 saves to eclipse the 100-save plateau in goal

 

The Belles (11-6) will make their second-consecutive NCAA Division III Tournament appearance and will find out their opponent and destination on Monday, May 9. The NCAA Selection Show takes place on Monday at 10:30 AM ET on NCAA.com.