On Saturday, the Goshen College women’s basketball team kicked off their season falling 67-51 on the road to Holy Cross College.

The Maple Leaf team consists of a young core group of players, but is still senior-led by Sydney Stein, Haley Archibeque and Caitlyn O’Neal.

The first quarter started off slow for the Maple Leafs as they were only able to score four points compared to Holy Cross’s 16-point barrage.

The Saints held the Maple Leafs scoreless in the first eight minutes until Alyson Prigge, a junior, put the Maple Leafs on the board with a mid-range jumper. Taniece Chapman, a first-year, then followed with a layup in the next possession.

The two buckets shrank the lead to five points (4-9) but the Saints retaliated by scoring in three straight possessions to end the first quarter and extend the lead to 16-4.

In the second quarter, the Maple Leafs were able to find a scoring rhythm as they put 18 points on the board, which outscored the Saints by two.

As the offense gained confidence, the Saints matched nearly every field goal with a three-pointer. The Saints managed to score five three-pointers in the second quarter to keep a 10-point lead going into halftime 32-22.

As the third quarter started, the Maple Leafs edged out the Saints by two points by scoring 14 in the quarter. Goshen kept their foot on the gas by pushing the pace of game and creating open shots.

The Maple Leafs got hot from beyond the arc as the women knocked down four three-pointers compared to the Saints one. Two of the three-point baskets came from O’Neal to spark the offense.

Defense continued to be a problem for Goshen as the Saints scored consistently.

In the fourth quarter, the Maple Leafs’ defense could not contain their opponent as Holy Cross scored 23 points to end the game. The Maple Leafs’ offense was able to score 15 points, but ultimately not enough to win on the road.

Both teams shot similar percentages from the field. The Maple Leafs shot 36 percent from two and 31 percent from beyond the arc. The Saints managed to have a slightly higher percentage, shooting 39 percent from two and matching the Maple Leafs at 31 percent from three.

Goshen struggled from the free throw line, only making 4 of 13 and shooting 30 percent. However, the Maple Leafs’ bench were able to put 33 points on the board compared to the Saints’ four. O’Neal led the Maple Leafs with 12 points off the bench.

The Leafs open at home on Saturday at 1 p.m. against Lourdes University.