ALBION, Mich. - The Saint Mary's lacrosse team came up short in a 19-6 final at Albion in both teams' conference opener for the 2024 season.

 

Emma Zmudzinski turned aside the first shot on goal she faced before Julia Gorski had a shot of hers go off the mark the other way a minute later. Zmudzinski collected a big save on an Albion free position chance three minutes into the contest, but a re-defend by the Brits led to a goal with 11:25 on the clock. Albion posted two more goals in quick succession to gain a 3-0 lead five minutes into the game. Zmudzinski posted another save with under nine minutes on the clock to keep Saint Mary's right in the mix. After Albion had a goal waved off as a result of the stick check, the Belles kept the next possession alive with the chase after a high shot. Valentia Rubio then collected a loose ball before burying a shot to get the Belles on the scoreboard with 5:19 on the clock. The Brits countered with back-to-back goals in the span of a minute. Zmudzinski, meanwhile, added two more saves to her total in the final three-plus minutes of the period. Saint Mary's had a late look at goal as Valentina Rubio's free position shot in the final minute of the quarter was saved as the game stood at a 5-1 score through 15 minutes of play.

The Brits put the first three goals of the second quarter on the scoreboard. Valentina Rubio won a draw control for the Belles moments later. Rachel Speckhard then sliced through the defense and put away a goal to make it 8-2. The midfield re-defend of Reese Bauer forced the Brits into a failed clear attempt on Albion's next possession. Another re-defend - this time by Alyssa Grant - saw the Brits fail their next clear attempt. Kathryn Kalinowski then found a wide-open Lana Skibins at the edge of the goal circle, and Skibins sent home the close-range goal to mek it an 8-3 game. The Brits got a goal on their next possession after winning the draw, but the Belles came right back. Alyssa Grant made a great cut through the critical scoring area to get open, and Kathryn Kalinowski threaded a perfect leading pass to Grant as the sophomore got the Belles back on the scoreboard at 9-4 with 5:33 on the clock. Albion, however, closed out the quarter with three goals to hold a 12-4 advantage at the break.

Saint Mary's came out strong to open the third. Alyssa Grant came away with the draw control, and Valentina Rubio used a cross-body shot from left to right to get the Belles on the scoreboard 18 seconds into the quarter. Albion posted a goal in response less than a minute later. Two more goals by the Brits made it a 15-5. The defense came up big, and the Belles had a look at cutting the deficit to single digits only to have Alyssa Grant's point-blank shot saved with under eight minutes on the clock. Albion then added to their margin with a goal in transition to make it a 16-5 score. The Belles made another stop with five minutes on the clock and quickly pushed the ball the other way. Christiana Singler raced through the midfield before finding Julia Gorski with a pass, but Gorski's shot from just inside the eight-meter fan was smothered. The Brits, meanwhile, closed out the final six minutes with two more goals for an 18-5 lead going into the fourth.

The Belles continued to battle. Christiana Singler won the opening draw of the quarter before Alyssa Grant had a shot tail just wide. The Belles kept the possession going only to have Valentina Rubio's shot saved. The defense blocked an early shot by the Brits while a free position goal by Albion extended the home side's lead. Emma Zmudzinski made a save five minutes into the period, but the Belles were unable to capitalize after the successful clear. After another save by Zmudzinski, the Belles took advantage of a player-up chance as Reese Bauer found the open space in front of the goal circle and sent home a shot off of a well-placed feed from Alyssa Grant to make it a 19-6 score. Zmudzinski posted another save, Marina De Castro Vasconcelos caused a turnover, and the Belles continued to try to cut into the deficit. Valentina Rubio and Reese Bauer each had shots go off the mark. Alyssa Grant forced the Brits into a failed clear and collected the ground ball before another shot by Bauer was saved with two minutes to go. The midfield pressure led to another failed clear by Albion, and the Belles looked to have added a late goal only to have the tally waved off after the stick check as the game came to an end by the final score of 19-6.

 

Valentina Rubio had two goals and two draw controls for the Belles. Alyssa Grant added a goal, an assist, three draw controls, two ground balls, and a caused turnover. Reese Bauer and Lana Skibins each had a goal and a ground ball while Bauer added a caused turnover. Rachel Speckhard registered a goal, and Kathryn Kalinowski had two assists, a ground ball, and a caused turnover. Kelsey King picked up two ground balls with a caused turnover. Christiana Singler had a team-high six draw controls. Emma Zmudzinski tallied 10 saves in goal for the Belles.

 

Saint Mary's (1-7, 0-1 MIAA) is back home on Wednesday, April 10 when they host Alma at 6:00 p.m. for the squad's annual Lax for Liberty contest.