When Saint Mary's reflects on its season, two trends emerge: the Belles cannot lose at home, but they can't find a way to win on the road.
Saint Mary's maintained this pattern over fall break, managing wins at home against Alma College [5-0] and Olivet [6-3] but dropping a key game on the road with a 3-2 overtime loss to Albion College.
The wins over break kept the Belles undefeated at home and extended their home record to 7-0. After starting the season with a win and a tie on the road, Saint Mary's has now lost its last four away games, leaving its record at 1-4-1. The loss to Albion proved even more costly, as it all but ended the Belles' chances of making the NCAA Tournament.
Although they were no longer playing for a spot in the postseason, the Belles still looked strong in Saturday's game against Olivet.
"To know that our season ends Nov. 2, we could have come out lackluster, but I still felt we played with the same heart and intensity as earlier this year," senior captain Jen Concannon said. "After the Albion game, we set new goals for ourselves; we want to go 4-0 in the next four games. "
Despite playing the game in a torrential downpour that provided a wet and muddy field, the Belles were able to get on the scoreboard early and often on Saturday. Ashley Hinton scored twice early on, and goals by Concannon and Carolyn Logan made it 4-0 at halftime. Saint Mary's extended the lead to 6-0 in the second half with goals by Carrie Orr and Emily Wagoner before allowing three late goals by Olivet.
"For the weather being so bad, I was happy to see us get six goals, because scoring consistently was something we've had a problem with all season," Concannon said. "I give credit to Olivet for coming back from down 6-0 to score three goals. They're a better team than people give them credit for."
The win on Saturday was payback for earlier in the season, when the Belles struggled in 4-1 upset loss against Olivet. However, the win was not enough to put them back in position for a shot at the title in the competitive MIAA.
"I feel our conference is very competitive knowing only one team goes on to the playoffs; most teams have the top three in the conference go on," Concannon said. "Holding the top position in the MIAA is very hard to do. I've noticed in our conference that there's always major upsets, because it's all about who comes to play that day."
With only three games to play this season, the Belles are determined to go out with a bang.
"It will feel bad to end the season, but we'll continue to play intensely to the end," Concannon said. "It's comforting to know that we are able to hang with the top teams."
, and are able to come out and play as good as them, even if the final record might not show it."
