NOTRE DAME, Ind. - The Saint Mary's soccer team saw their season come to a close with a 1-0 double-overtime loss at home against Alma on Saturday afternoon.

 

The Belles had a handful of strong scoring chances which led to shots in the first half of action. In the eleventh minute, Maya Cole played a ball to Rose Stackhouse at the top of the 18-yard box. Stackhouse slotted a pass back to Cole, and the senior got behind the ball with a strong shot at the top of the box only to have the effort blocked. Less than two minutes later, Sophia Fleming had a well-placed cross from 40 yards out on the left flank find Rose Stackhouse in the box. Stackhouse got a head on the ball but flicked it wide left. Cole added another shot in the 16th minute as the Belles continued to press the Alma defense.

 

On the other end of the pitch, the Saint Mary's backline limited the scoring chances for Alma. The defense blocked a shot in the 30th minute, and Kara Stacey collected a pair of saves in the 33rd and 35th minutes of action. Late in the half, the Belles put together another solid chance, which started when Maddy Hansen played a ball centrally to Lindsey Adent in the 43rd minute. Adent sent a diagonal pass into the box for Cole, but Cole's poke-shot rolled just inches wide left of the post. Some high pressure saw the Belles put the ball into the six-yard box with just over a minute remaining in the period, but Izzi Linus was unable to get a redirect on the ball as the game remained scoreless at the half.

 

Sophia Fleming put a perfectly weighted ball into the box toward Emily Stross, but Stross was unable to corral the ball with a defender marking her closely. Seconds later, Jillian Bowen had a shot go wide right in the 53rd minute to open the second stanza. The Belles had a flurry of opportunities in the 64th and 65th minutes. Lindsey Herdsman served a long ball from the center line into the box for Jillian Bowen to run onto. Bowen then had a 1v1 with the Alma goalkeeper, and the Scots' netminder pushed the ball out of play for a Saint Mary's corner kick. A minute later, Izzi Linus had a shot at the top of the box blocked before Maddy Hansen found the ball at her feet a few yards away. Hansen put the ball toward goal but missed the mark wide right. Kara Stacey, meanwhile, collected back-to-back saves in the 82nd and 83rd minutes as both sides looked for the elusive goal. With less than five minutes remaining in regulation, Rose Stackhouse found herself in space on the left side of the field and fired a shot from 22 yards away only to have the attempt saved waist-high. The Belles later earned another corner kick, but Sydney Skarbek's shot was blocked as the game went to overtime.

 

Kara Stacey made a save on the lone shot on-goal in the first overtime period, and the sides moved to double overtime. Saint Mary's had a pair of corner kicks over the first two minutes of the period but were unable to put together a threatening opportunity. Midway through the stanza, Rose Stackhouse had a shot saved, Mary Kaczynski's attempt in the six-yard box was blocked, and Izzi Linus had a chance saved in the span of less than a minute. Stacey collected her sixth save of the contest on a long shot by the Scots in the 107th minute, but Alma continued to build the pressure in the Belles' defensive third. With a minute and a half remaining on the clock, Alma switched possession from left to right, and a pass into space in the box led to the game-winning goal in the 109th minute in the 1-0 final.

 

Alma held a slight edge in shots in the game with 15 to the Belles' 14. Saint Mary's collected five corner kicks to the Scots' four.

 

Rose Stackhouse had two shots on goal and three total shots in the game, and Maya Cole added three shots. Jillian Bowen and Izzi Linus head had a shot on goal and two total shots for the Belles. Kara Stacey made six saves in the contest.

 

The Belles conclude the season with an 8-9 overall record and a 1-7 mark in MIAA contests.