Game Summary

ST. PETER, Minn. — If the Saint Mary's University women's soccer team was showing any ill effects from last Sunday's streak-snapping 1-0 loss to fifth-ranked Macalester, they certainly didn't show it Wednesday.

Especially in the second half.

The Cardinals erupted for a pair of second-half goals and Jennifer Johnson (Racine, Wis.) stopped 10 shots for her fifth shutout of the season as SMU cruised to a 2-0 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference win over Gustavus.

"The wind was unbelievable up here — it had to be blowing 25-30 mph, and we were going into the wind in the first half," said SMU coach Tony Guinn. "I think the key for us was keeping (Gustavus) off the scoreboard in the first half, when they were going with the wind."

The Cardinals struggled to get their offense on track in the first half, as the Gusties outshot SMU 7-0 — only to have all seven shots stopped by Johnson.

SMU, with the wind at their backs, finally gave Johnson some offensive support 1:13 into the second half as Lisa Tlougan (Rochester, Minn.) netted her team-leading fifth goal of the season, tapping in a shot off a picture-perfect pass from teammate Louise Irvine (Belfast, Northern Ireland).

Amy Cory (Crystal Lake, Ill.) then gave the Cardinals — and Johnson — some breathing room, as SMU's leading scorer a year ago rifled a shot past Gustavus goalkeeper Tori Boughton from the top of the box.

"It was good to see us bounce right back (from the loss to Macalester) and get a win – I think that was big for team morale," said Guinn. "Gustavus is an extremely talented team, and for us to come in here and pull out a win is big."

The Cardinals, currently ranked No. 10 in the latest NSCAA/Adidas Central Region poll, improved to 2-1-0 in the MIAC and 9-1-0 overall and return to action Saturday, traveling to Concordia for a noon match.