ALMA, Mich. - Saint Mary's College Lacrosse defeated Alma College, 8-5, in the Belles MIAA opener on Wednesday night. The Belles improve to 9-1 (1-0 MIAA) on the year while the Scots fall to 2-5 (0-2 MIAA).
Saint Mary's got the offense rolling early after shutting out Alma in the first quarter. Freshman Sophia Martinello (Elmhurst, IL) was the first to get her name on the scoresheet as she found the back of the net less than two minutes into the game. Martinello followed that up with her second goal of the day midway through the first quarter to extend the lead. Freshman June McMahon (River Forest, IL) closed out the first quarter scoring less than three minutes later with her first goal of the night. The freshmen duo's three goals sent the Belles into the first break with a 3-0 lead.
The Scots came out and added two goals of their own in the first eight minutes of the second quarter to cut the Belles lead to one. With 23 seconds remaining in the half, junior Kelsey King (Sylvania, OH) took advantage of a man-up situation to extend the lead, sending Saint Mary's into halftime with a 4-2 lead.
Senior Alyssa Grant (Oak Lawn, IL) got her night going with a goal just over a minute into the second half. Alma would add another goal four minutes later to try and start their comeback. Junior Rachel Speckhard (Munster, IN) extended the lead with two goals over a 90 second span as the third quarter came to a close, giving the Belles a 7-3 lead heading into the final 15 minutes.
Alma added to their total just over four minutes into the fourth, before sophomore Annabelle Spruill (Brookhaven, GA) scored the final goal of the night for the Belles with an assist from King. The Scots would add one more goal with three minutes to play but it wasn't enough. The Belles defense held strong to hang on to their 8-5 MIAA opening win.
Speckhard and Martinello added a pair of goals each while four other Belles added a goal. King added a goal and an assist to join the two with two points on the night. While winning the game, Saint Mary's was outshot by Alma, 28-19, on the night and 18-8 in shots on goal.
Defensively, Grant and sophomore Katie Krajewski (Grand Rapids, MI) led the team with three ground balls each. Junior Cate Shepherd (Bay Village, OH) tallied a team while two caused turnovers while senior Mary Grace Heekin (Fayetteville, GA) led with three draw controls.
In goal, sophomore Kaya Seaboy (Evansville, IN) had a career night en route to the Saint Mary's Win. While facing 28 total shots on the night, Seaboy made a career high 15 saves in her eighth win of the season.
UP NEXT FOR THE BELLES
Saint Mary's hits the road again on Saturday, April 4, as they take a trip to Albion College for a 1pm start time. The Belles then return home for a three game homestand, starting on April 7 when they host Adrian College. The homestand will also feature matchups with Hope College, April 11, and Calvin University, April 15.
