NOTRE DAME, Ind. - Saint Mary's College Soccer finishes their quick opening road-trip on Wednesday with a trip to Bluffton, Ohio to take on Bluffton University with a 4pm kickoff. The Belles then host Knox College for the home opener on Saturday with kickoff set for 11am.
Saint Mary's fell in their first match of the season to Providence Christian College in Pasadena, California on Friday, 1-0. The Seabeggars were able to take the lead in the 23rd minute of the first half and would hold the lead for the remainder of the match. The Belles had plenty of opportunities to equalize as they outshot the Seabeggars 14-6, 8-4 in shots on goal.
Sophomore Margaret Slove led the Belles with five shots and four shots on goal while seniors Grace Barresi and Mary Kaczynski each had three shots. Senior goalkeeper Riley Lindsey made two saves in her 90 minutes of play.
Saint Mary's saw the start to a new defensive side against Providence Christian. From the defensive line and the central defensive mid, there were four players that made their first collegiate start, including three freshmen. Junior Izzy Sherman was the veteran amongst the defenders, making her 19th career start. Sophomore Brooke Baumann and freshmen Danielle Escobedo and Sofia Delinck made their first collegiate starts along the back line while freshman Isabella Kreydich made her first start in defensive midfield. The defense held strong as they kept the Seabeggars to just six shots.
Bluffton Beavers
The Bluffton Beavers come into the match following a 1-1 draw with the University of Olivet on Saturday. The goal for the Beavers was scored by sophomore midfielder Mya Vernon while they were led in shots by sophomore midfielder/forward Riley Eachus with five. In the match, Bluffton started senior goalkeeper Brielle Collier who allowed the one goal and made four saves while facing five shots.
Knox Prairie Fire
The Knox Prairie Fire come into the Purcell Athletic Fields on Saturday, September 7, after taking on Governors State University in Crown Point, Indiana on Friday. The Prairie Fire find themselves sitting at 0-1 after their match of the season which came as a 4-1 loss to Millikin University on Saturday. The goal for Knox was scored by senior forward Aleene Ramirez while junior midfielder Isabella Shubert had the assist. The Prairie Fire played two first year goalkeepers while giving Darby Willing the start while Bri Mahoney came into the match in the final 28 minutes. Willig allowed just one goal and made nine saves while facing 15 shots while Mahoney allowed three goals and made four saves while facing 11 shots.