As next week approaches, Saint Mary’s lacrosse will be happy to turn the calendar from March to April. The Belles finished out an 0-4 month with a 24-9 loss to Lake Forest on Saturday, giving up 24 goals at home for just the second time in program history. Now 1-6 on the year, they have lost four consecutive games in a season for the first time since 2014.
Saturday’s game opened competitively, with the Belles within a 4-3 score of the Foresters after one quarter. Kathryn Kalinowski’s two player-up goals bookended Alyssa Grant’s tally, as Belles drew five fouls while committing none themselves. Both Kalinowski and Grant, the team’s two top scorers, would go on to record hat tricks against Lake Forest.
But the game opened up for the visitors in the second quarter. Using a 10-4 edge in the draw circle, Lake Forest lit up the Belles with 10 goals, widening its lead to 14-6 by halftime. Ryleigh Nelson, who accumulated five goals and tallied seven assists on the day, scored twice consecutively to start the quarter. Her 12-point effort paced the Foresters and equaled a career high. Near the second quarter’s midway point, Nelson would once again score back-to-back goals, requiring no assists to tally four times total in the quarter.
Just before halftime, Nelson handed the keys off to Jenna Doctor. With five goals in 15 minutes between the final two minutes of quarters two and three, Doctor diagnosed the Belles with an 18-9 deficit. Overall, she deposited a career-high-tying seven goals while tying for Lake Forest’s team lead with five ground balls.
Looking for any momentum to take into April, Saint Mary’s went silent on offense in the final quarter. Lake Forest blanked the Belles, scoring six goals itself to close a 15-goal win.
Next Wednesday, April 3, the Belles will host their final non-conference game as scheduled against Aurora. Saint Mary’s will then open MIAA play with a visit to Albion two days later.
The Aurora-Saint Mary’s matchup is set for 5 p.m.
