Game Summary

LA CROSSE, Wis. — As if trying to snap out of a six-game losing streak wasn't bad enough, the Saint Mary's University women's soccer team had to do that without the services of five of its starters.

With the flu bug sidelining starters Anne O'Day (Skokie, Ill.), Shannon Cherry (Rosemount, Minn.) Sara Goodnature (Rochester, Minn.) and Katie Johnson (Elk River, Minn.) — and a quadracep injury forcing Laurel Danielson (Caledonia, Minn.) to not even make the trip — the Cardinals were no match for UW-La Crosse Wednesday as the Eagles scored three times in the first half and cruised to a 5-0 nonconference victory.

"Our kids are dropping like flies," said SMU coach Dan Blank. "Along with the nagging injuries that have plagued us all season, the flu bug really hurt us — we were just outmatched. I think if we would have been at full strength, we would have given them a game."

The Eagles held a 21-1 advantage in shots on goal, getting first-half goals from Katie Christianson, Jenny Gellerman and Sarah Carlson, while Ashley Marshall and Cynthia Fudzinski accounted for the Eagles' two second-half tallies.

The loss, which extends SMU's scoreless and winless streaks to seven games, drops the Cardinals to 1-11 overall. UW-La Crosse, meanwhile, improved to 4-7.