Game Summary

WINONA, Minn. — Katie Curran (Apple Valley, Minn.) scored two minutes into the first half and the Saint Mary's University women's soccer team's smothering defense held Viterbo to just one shot on goal as the Cardinals opened their season with a 2-0 victory at Ochrymowycz Field Sunday afternoon.

The Cardinals wasted little time getting on the board as Curran took a feed from Crystal Mitchell (Arlington Heights, Ill.) and beat Viterbo goalkeeper Amy Hawkinson just 2:13 into the opening half.

"Overall, I was very pleased with our performance," admitted SMU coach Dan Blank. "Coming into the season, we were a little concerned about our goal-scoring ability, and then to come out and score two minutes into the first half … that was great to see."

Blank was also pleased with the performance of his defenders, led by co-captains Colleen O'Hearn (Champlin, Minn.) and Katie Lentz (Cottage Grove, Minn.).

O'Hearn, an All-MIAC and All-Region goalkeeper as a junior last season, wasn't tested against the V-Hawks, facing just one shot in posting her 19th career shutout.

And it's that fact — that Viterbo could not generate any offensive pressure — that pleased Blank the most.

"Katie Lentz played outstanding in her first game at sweeper," praised Blank of his senior, who was moved from the midfield to sweeper this season after the Cardinals lost veteran sweeper Katie State to graduation. "On paper, Colleen gets credit for the shutout, but it was the play of Katie and the other defenders that deserve just as much of the credit."

The Cardinals just missed a chance to take a 2-0 advantage into the halftime break, but Hawkinson stopped Kelli Mooney's (Maple Grove, Minn.) point-blank shot.

SMU continued to dominate play in the second half, putting nine shots on goal, including a 40-yard bomb by Kim Rhomberg (St. Louis, Mo.) that beat Hawkinson at the 74-minute mark.

"Viterbo is a much-improved team," admitted Blank. "I was impressed with the way they played — we really had to work for every offensive opportunity we got."

And work they did.

"This is exactly the kind of effort I was hoping for," said Blank, whose team has little time to savor its season-opening win, as they return to action Tuesday at home against UW-La Crosse. "Obviously, (the coaching staff) saw some things that we need to work on, but overall it was a great start."