NOTRE DAME, Ind. - The Saint Mary's soccer team was unable to break through in a 2-0 setback against visiting Anderson on Wednesday evening.

 

The possession was split nearly down the middle throughout the entire contest in a physical matchup between the two sides. Saint Mary's built toward a pair of potential scoring chances in the opening minutes of play but were unable to fully materialize any shots early. After a pair of shots by the Ravens, the Belles continued to push ahead into the Anderson defensive third. Jillian Bowen, Mary Kaczynski, Kaitlyn Day, and Grace Barresi played well-connected offense throughout much of the first half. Bowen used a centering pass from the left flank to Kaczynski, and Kaczynski put the ball ahead into space for Barresi. Barresi had a well-struck shot with pace go just wide right in the 10th minute. Less than a minute later, a cross by Day just inside the endline from the right side of the box found its way into the box for Kaczysnki, and Kaczynski got inside positioning on her defender and sent a one-timer left of the post and out of play. With over 27 minutes remaining on the clock, a string of passes was capped off by a Kaczynski to Bowen feed, and Bowen sent a cross in toward Barresi in the box. Barresi and a defender hit the ball simultaneously for the Belles to win a corner kick. The Ravens had a look at capitalizing on a giveaway on that same set piece play, but a huge step by Lindsey Adent won the ball back for the Belles and broke up a potential 2v1 the other way. 

 

Saint Mary's continued to have the upperhand in strong scoring chances while Kara Stacey was equally up to the task in goal with a pair of saves in the opening period. In the 22nd minute, Grace Barresi used a strong individual effort to win the ball back and carry the ball to her right at the top of the box before sending a low shot back across the mouth of the goal toward the left post only to have the attempt saved. In the closing minutes of the half, Felicity Matthews sent a dangerous cross into the box toward Bowen at the far post, but the Anderson goalkeeper just barely beat Bowen to the spot to intercept the pass. With less than three minutes remaining before halftime, Matthews hit a shot from the top of the box with pace as another save kept the Belles from breaking into the scoring column.

 

Mary Kaczynski peppered a pair of shots on goal in the opening three minutes of the second half. Both attempts, however, were met with saves. Kara Stacey, meanwhile, collected another save of her own in the 53rd minute as the game remained scoreless. At the other end of the pitch, Barresi put together another strong individual effort to work past the Ravens' defense deep in the Belles' scoring end of the field. The sophomore was unable to get off a shot on the cut-back attempt. Back on the defensive end, Stacey made a pair of strong reads on passes into space by the Ravens to break up scoring chances for Anderson. The Ravens, however, used a stretch of extended possession to break through with a goal in the 76th minute. Anderson used that momentum to add a second goal less than three minutes later for the 2-0 edge. Barresi fired another shot on goal late in the game, but Saint Mary's was unable to find the back of the net in the 2-0 final.

 

Mary Kaczynski had four shots - three of them on goal - for the Belles while Grace Barresi tallied three total shots with two of those attempts being on goal. Felicity Matthews tallied a shot on goal while Lindsey Adent, Sophia Fleming, and Abaigeal Patnode each had a shot for Saint Mary's. Kara Stacey made five saves in goal.

 

The Belles (0-5-3) travel to Oberlin on Sunday for a 3:00 p.m. contest in their final non-conference match of the season.