ALBION, Mich. - With the score tied at 16-16 with under two minutes remaining, the Saint Mary's lacrosse team fell after host Albion tallied a goal with two seconds to play in a 17-16 nailbiter in non-conference action on Sunday.

 

The host Brits put a pair of goals on the scoreboard in the opening two minutes of action, but the Belles responded with three consecutive goals of their own as Erin Doyle, Erin Dotson, and Shannon McCloskey each found the back of the net. Albion countered with a pair of goals over the next two minutes of play, but Dotson drew Saint Mary's even at 4-4 with a free position goal as the game had a frenetic scoring pace through the opening ten minutes. Albion went on a run to build a 9-4 lead with 16:56 still to play in the opening half. Katie Haas broke up that scoring spurt with a goal at the 16:04 mark. The sides traded goals over the next four minutes as Erin Doyle kept the Belles within striking distance with a goal at 13:13. Trailing by five goals with ten minutes to play in the first period, the Belles used a scoring run of their own to get right back into the mix. Doyle struck twice, Dotson added another goal, and Molly Mullett and Gabby Belsito each scored to tie the game at 11-11 with 2:33 on the clock. The Brits, however, scored with just over a minute remaining in the period to carry a 12-11 lead into the halftime break.

 

Saint Mary's took the momentum early in the second half as Doyle scored twice and Belsito tallied her second goal of the contest for a 14-12 lead 5:48 into the stanza. The host Brits scored on consecutive possessions before using an extended offensive chance a short while later to gain a 15-14 lead with 13:28 remaining. The Belles capitalized on a caused turnover by Lindsey Herdsman as Dotson buried her fourth goal of the contest to tie the game yet again at 15-15. The defense came up big yet again for Saint Mary's, and Dotson made it a career-high five-goal day with a free position tally with 6:40 on the clock. The Brits pulled even with a goal less than two minutes later as the tension continued to climb in the waning minutes of the contest. Bridget Kane had a shot saved, and the Saint Mary's defense was able to cut the angle on an Albion free position shot with two minutes to go to force the shot wide. Both sides turned the ball over as the teams tried to push the tempo for the potential game-winning goal. A late turnover by the Belles saw the Brits connect a string of passes before netting a goal with two seconds to play for the deciding score.

 

Erin Doyle had a game-high six goals and added an assist for the Belles while Erin Dotson posted career-highs of five goals and six draw controls. Gabby Belsito had two goals and an assist. Molly Mullett collected a goal, two assists, seven ground balls, six draw controls, and a career-high and school-record nine caused turnovers for the Belles. Katie Haas registered a goal and an assist, and Shannon McCloskey scored a goal. Bridget Kane posted two assists and four ground balls on the day. Emily Kraker made 10 saves in goal.

 

The Belles (4-3) now enter the conference portion of their season. Saint Mary's hosts Alma on Wednesday for a 6:00 p.m. game against the Scots.