Saint Mary’s soccer kept its winning streak alive over the weekend, collecting two wins to improve to 4-0 on the season.
North Central (Minn.)
The Belles started the week off strong with their tilt against the North Central (Minn.) Rams on Sept. 4. It was a lively first 30 minutes of the match as both teams were pushing to find the back of the net. Shortly after, the Belles put in the first goal of the night thanks to junior forward Eleah Hedstrom with an assist from junior midfielder Aubrey Brown. The Belles kept the Rams away from the net through the end of the first period as they finished with the 1-0 lead. In the opening half, the Belles reigned on the field as they outshot the Rams 17-1.
Less than two minutes into the second half, junior defender Brooke Baumann knocked home a penalty kick after a foul committed by North Central. Now up 2-0, the Belles did not back down as almost 20 seconds later, freshman forward Mia Johnson took the ball and scored the Belles’ third goal of the night. Ten minutes later, a quick pass from Johnson to sophomore defender Kayla O’Neal gave Saint Mary’s a 4-0 lead. Quickly following this goal, sophomore defender Danielle Escobedo knocked in a goal to extend the lead to five with an assist from Hedstrom. North Central managed their only goal of the game in the final minutes to make the final score 5-1.
Johnson led the Belles with a total of eight shots while freshman midfielder Marley Cady added five. Overall, Saint Mary’s stayed composed as they finished the match outshooting the Rams 34-3, and 19-1 in shots on goal.
Bluffton
In match two over the weekend, the team faced off against the Bluffton Beavers, taking a swift 5-0 triumph.
It was a much more aggressive game than the North Central contest, with a combined 11 fouls called in the first 28 minutes. A few seconds later, the freshman duo of Johnson and forward Bella Musachio worked together to put in the first goal, giving the Belles a 1-0 lead. Six minutes later, sophomore defender Isabella Kreydich added a goal thanks to assists from Musachio and O’Neal. About eight minutes later, Kreydich put in her second goal of the day for the Belles, off an assist from senior midfielder Grace Reyda. This rounded out the first half with the Belles leading 3-0.
Going into the second half, the Bluffton defense held their ground to keep the Belles at bay. Midway through the 45 minutes, Escobedo found the back of the net to extend the lead to 4-0. Within seconds of that goal, Johnson followed Escobedo, putting in a goal of her own to make the score 5-0. The Belles defense kept Bluffton away from scoring position for the rest of the period, giving Saint Mary’s the 5-0 win.
Saint Mary’s outshot the Beavers 19-3, and 10-2 in shots on goal.
Now 4-0 on the season, the Belles prepare to host Concordia Chicago on Thursday, Sept. 11 at 3 p.m.