Game Summary
WINONA, Minn. — If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he would not have believed it.
Yet, there is was, a picture-perfect volley off the foot of Saint Mary's University's
Mark Matyas (DePere, Wis.) that sailed … right into the midsection of a St. Olaf defender.
And Matyas wasn't alone. It happened to Mike Lardner (St. Joseph, Mich.),
Andrew Dolan (Glenview, Ill.) and
John Vik (St. Paul, Minn.) as well.
And all coach Eric Luzzi could do is watch in disbelief.
Time after time Sunday afternoon in their Minneesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference game against the Oles at Ochrymowycz Field, the Cardinals created golden scoring opportunities — only to come up empty-handed every time.
St. Olaf, on the other hand, proved to be very opportunistic, as the Oles' used two goals from Faiz Abdirahman — one in each half — to beat SMU 2-0, handing the Cardinals their seventh straight loss.
"I don't know what to say," Luzzi said. "I'm speechless."
One of the causes for Luzzi's sudden case of laryngitis has been the Cardinals' inability to put the ball in the net. With Sunday's shutout loss, the Cardinals have now gone 615 minutes without a goal, dating back to early in the first half of their season-opener against Pacific Lutheran, when
Brian Reddish (Crystal Lake, Ill.) scored.
The Cardinals had several chances in the first half Sunday, attempting 12 shots — four of which found their way to the St. Olaf goal, only to have Ole goalkeeper Kyle Trimble turn them away.
Bob Endemann (Woodridge, Ill.) was just as busy at the other end, making eight of his 12 saves in the first half. Abdirahman's chip shot, however, was one that Endemann couldn't handle, as the sophomore's goal at the 27:18 mark gave the Oles a 1-0 advantage.
Abdirahman added his second of the game 22 minutes into the second half, and while SMU turned up pressure over the game's final 20 minutes, they were unable to break through.
SMU, which falls to 0-2 in the MIAC and 0-7 overall, returns to action Saturday, when they play host to Augsburg.
