Despite putting up a tough fight, Saint Mary’s soccer fell to Calvin University on Saturday. The Belles came up short 5-0 and were handed their second loss of the season, making the team 6-2-2 with the Knights improving to 6-4.
The game quickly got away from the Belles as the Calvin offense wasted no time. Junior middle Mikaela Waroway scored a goal within the first eight minutes, and just two minutes later, junior forward Avery Mrozinski found the back of the net to give the Knights a 2-0 lead before the clock even hit 10 minutes.
While Saint Mary’s tried to stay in possession of the ball, the Calvin defense was too strong and barely allowed the Belles to take any shots on goal. The Knights eventually stole the ball from Saint Mary’s, leading to another Knights goal by senior forward CeCe McCarthy. Calvin outshot the Belles 10-1 in the first half and allowed no shots on goal.
Saint Mary’s offense attempted to mirror the Knights’ quick start after halftime; however, the Belles were met with brute defense. Calvin continued their pressure, which was only intensified by the harsh heat. Calvin senior midfielder Elie Farrell scored a header goal five minutes into the second half, which broke the Belles’ spirit even more.
Saint Mary’s used all of their top players and attempted to get into the box, but the Knights were too strong and continued to push the Belles out every time they were close. The last goal of the game came close to the end when sophomore forward Vivian Nagelkirk successfully landed one in the net, closing out the score 5-0.
Freshman forward Mia Johnson led Saint Mary’s with three shots and two shots on goal. Sophomore goalkeeper Keona Caraballo would make three saves after coming in for freshman goalkeeper Meghan Krayer, who left the game with an injury in the 10th minute.
The Belles will host Adrian at home this Saturday, Oct. 11 to celebrate Senior Day. Adrian is currently 3-7-1 overall and 0-1 in conference play and will be a good competitor for Saint Mary’s.
The Bulldogs boast players such as senior forward Annamarie Fosmoen who currently has five goals on the season with 26 shots on goal, and senior defender Teagan Bergeron who follows with two goals and seven shots on goal. Defensively, Adrian is led by senior goalkeeper Katelyn Stanton who has 54 saves on the year and a save percentage of 0.844.
Kickoff is at 12:30 p.m. at Purcell Athletic Fields.
