Soccer

LINCOLN, Ill./MILWAUKEE – Mount Mary's tough mid-season stretch continued this week as it dropped a pair of back-to-back games at Lincoln Christian Thursday and at home Friday afternoon against Robert Morris-Lake County. The Red Lions of LCU poured on the offense in a dominating 14-1 decision, while RMU-LC scored three unanswered second-half goals to pull away, 5-2.

The Blue Angels, with four experienced upperclassmen still sidelined with injuries, have been forced to shift some players around into different positions through this difficult stretch. And while the mostly-freshman-based squad is picking up invaluable live action, it has come at the cost of wins.

Freshman Marianne Xiong (Milwaukee, Wis.) notched the game's lone score for Mount Mary as prolific scoring threat and sophomore Emily Ristow (Sheboygan, Wis.) was moved to sweeper. The game was never in question as the Red Lions jumped out to a 7-0 lead at the half and never looked back.

Friday Mount Mary dented the scoreboard first on a great crossing pass from freshman Nancy Xiong (Milwaukee, Wis.) to senior Vanessa Schellinger (West Bend, Wis.) that beat the RMU-LC goalkeeper. However, a talented Eagle forward in Judith Martinez would score two of her season-high four goals in to close out the first half to take a 2-1 lead.

Ristow took matters into her own hands early in the second half, breaking free up the middle and putting MMU's second goal of the game past the keeper. Martinez would blast home another goal just five minutes later, and two mis-clears by Blue Angel defenders ended up on the feet of Lake County forwards, who sealed the game with a 5-2 win.

Despite being short-handed, Mount Mary will continue its wild week Sunday by traveling to Blackburn College for a Sunday noon matinee against the Beavers. Blackburn, a member of the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, is 5-4 on the year.