KALAMAZOO, Mich. - The Saint Mary's soccer team fell in a tight 1-0 final at Kalamazoo on Saturday afternoon.

 

The Belles had an early chance in the contest. A through ball toward Margaret Slove carried a couple of yards too far beyond the freshman and rolled to the Kalamazoo goalkeeper less than three minutes into the game. A short while later, a long ball off a free kick toward the top of the box initially took a fortunate Saint Mary's bounce, but the Belles were unable to corral the ball as the Kalamazoo goalkeeper stifled the play.

At the other end, Caroline Miklavcic broke up a chance for the Hornets in the box by beating out a Kalamazoo player to a long ball on the left side of the field before a shot could be taken. In the 15th minute, Lindsey Adent played a ball over the top where Izzi Linus fired a one-time shot in the box that was immediately saved. Miklavcic got another good jump on the ball in the 21st minute to prevent an opportunity in the box, and a group defending effort a minute later kept the Hornets off the scoreboard amid a broken play. The sophomore goalkeeper came up with a strong save in the 23rd minute as the Belles weathered a defensive stretch of play.

Saint Mary's earned a free kick just outside the top of the box in the 25th minute. Grace Barresi lined up behind the ball and got behind a shot from 20 yards out only to have the strike carry high and out of play. The defense continued to hold the back line while Miklavcic picked up another save as the game remained scoreless at halftime.

An early chance for the Belles in the second half was whistled down with an offside call. The Hornets had a free kick along the endline and whipped a cross into the box, but Miklavcic continued to be up to the task as the Belles' goalkeeper reeled in the ball before a Kalamazoo player could get on the attacking end in the opening ten minutes.

The Belles gained a free kick in the 59th minute from ten yards outside of the box. Kaitlyn Day took the chance and fired a shot on goal but had the attempt saved waist-high. The Hornets countered with a dangerous chance on a free kick of their own as the initial chance hit the post and the follow up offering carried high and over the crossbar in the 60th minute.

 

The defense continued to be steadfast in their efforts and held the Hornets without a shot for the next 20-plus minutes of action. A long, skidding ball from outside of the box was easily picked up by Miklavcic with under 12 minutes remaining as the teams battled for possession in the midfield for much of the second half. Saint Mary's looked to start a counterattack opportunity when Lindsey Adent won the ball back in the Belles' offensive end. Grace Brown carried the ball ahead before she tried to find Izzi Linus at the top of the box, but the play was broken up by the Kalamazoo defense. Building off of that push, the Belles won a free kick with eight minutes remaining on the clock. Grace Barresi played the ball in with a shot on goal that was saved on the ensuing free kick.

Kalamazoo broke the stalemate with a goal in the 84th minute of play. A free kick for the Hornets at the center line was played back toward the penalty spot, and a Kalamazoo player found the ball at their feet as the Hornets put a goal on the scoreboard with 6:52 remaining on the clock.

Looking for the equalizer, Margaret Slove had the ball in the box and cut back to the right only to have a shot blocked from 15 yards out in the 85th minute. The Belles won possession again, and Marina C. Vasconcelos tried to catch the Kalamazoo goalkeeper out of position with a long-range shot that was saved at the right post in the 86th minute. The Hornets pinned the Belles into the defensive end for much of the final two-plus minutes of play. A turnover in the attacking end for Saint Mary's with less than 20 seconds ago nearly yielded a scoring chance for the potential equalizer, but the Belles were unable to get behind the ball with a shot in the 1-0 final.

Grace Barresi had a pair of shots to pace the Belles. Kaitlyn Day, Marina C. Vasconcelos, Izzi Linus, and Margaret Slove each registered a shot in the contest. Caroline Miklavcic made two saves in goal. 

 

The Belles (6-7-1, 0-4-1 MIAA) are on the road again on Wednesday when they travel to Olivet for a 4:00 p.m. conference game.