NOTRE DAME, Ind. - The Saint Mary's lacrosse team fell in a 21-6 final against DePauw on a rainy Wednesday evening.

 

The Tigers scored on a free position chance early in the game to take a quick 1-0 lead before Christiana Singler sliced through the defense and buried a shot 4:14 into play to knot the game at a goal apiece. DePauw struck quickly in response by winning the draw and scoring moments later for a 2-1 advantage. The two sides played a tight stretch of three minutes of action as Reese Bauer had a shot saved. A goal by the Tigers with 7:37 on the clock made it 3-1. Saint Mary's used a caused turnover to create an offensive opportunity, and Singler threaded a pass to Molly Mullett as Mullett found the back of the net with 6:27 to go in the period to make it a one-goal game. DePauw again turned a draw control into quick offense and scored less than a minute later to regain a multi-goal lead. The two sides again battled back-and-forth over a stretch of four minutes that saw Singler and Erin Dotson each have a shot on goal saved. A turnover deep in the DePauw offensive end saw the Tigers capitalize on the chance and gain a 5-2 lead with two minutes to go. DePauw scored a flurry of goals over the final minute and a half to push their lead to 9-2 through the opening period of play.

 

Valentina Rubio opened the second quarter with a free position goal for the Belles to cut the deficit to six. Dotson had another effort turned aside with a save less than a minute later. The Tigers tallied three goals in quick succession for a 12-3 lead, but the Belles continued to compete. Dotson and Rubio each had shots on goal stopped, but Molly Mullett put away a free position goal with 9:19 still to go in the quarter to give Saint Mary's a boost. DePauw added a goal with under six minutes to go, but Mullett came back with the answer again with another goal with 2:47 on the clock. 

 

Emma Zmudzinski registered a pair of saves in the opening four minutes of the third quarter, but the DePauw defense kept the Belles off the scoreboard while the Tigers posted three goals in the quarter for a 16-5 lead. DePauw added three goals early in the fourth quarter, but the Belles did not back down and continued to battle. Zmudzinski collected another save, and a strong crash on a free position shot resulted in the defense blocking a shot by the Tigers a minute later. The Belles blocked yet another shot in the critical scoring area with five minutes to go, but a free position shot for DePauw found the net with under four minutes to go. Molly Mullett won the ensuing draw control and scored from a tight angle along the left side of the goal circle, but the Tigers closed out the scoring with a goal on their next chance in the 21-6 final.

 

Molly Mullett led the Belles with four goals and five draw controls with three ground balls and a caused turnover. Valentina Rubio added a goal, five ground balls, and a game-high four caused turnovers. Christiana Singler tallied a goal and an assist. Erin Dotson picked up four ground balls and three draw controls with a caused turnover, and Alyssa Grant had two caused turnovers and two ground balls. Lindsey Herdsman added two ground balls and a caused turnover. Mila Swiacki made a save in the first quarter, and Emma Zmudzinski posted six saves over the final three quarters.

 

The Belles (3-3) continue a home stretch as they host Edgewood at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday.