Game Summary

WINONA, Minn. — A year ago, Saint Mary's University's Mike Schmitt (Woodridge, Ill.) was the Cardinal men's soccer team's No. 1 goal-scoring threat — if the Cardinals were going to score a goal, it was a pretty safe bet that Schmitt would do the scoring, as the SMU junior accounted for 10 of the Cardinals' 19 goals.

Schmitt is still scoring goals in bunches this season, netting a pair of goals in each of SMU's first two games, while adding another in the Cardinals' 3-2 loss to Carthage last Tuesday.

But scoring goals isn't all the Cardinal sharpshooter can do.

Which is good news for the Cardinals — and bad news for their opponents.

Schmitt assisted on both goals Sunday — and has now had a hand in the last five Cardinal goals — as SMU snapped a two-game losing streak with a 2-0 nonconference win over Ripon at Ochrymowycz Field.

"It's great for us to get back on the winning track," said SMU coach Chris Dembiec, whose team improved to 3-2-0 overall with the win. "We've been struggling a bit to put a full game together, but (Sunday) we did just that — we came out and put (Ripon) on the defensive early, and in weather like that (cold and rainy), that gave us a huge advantage."

The Cardinals got on the board just before halftime, as Schmitt served up the first of his two assists, threading a pass to Andy Neu (Inver Grove Heights, Minn.), who beat Ripon goalie Dave Freisleben for his first collegiate goal.

Schmitt was in a giving mood again early in the second half, as he set up teammate Jon Vik (St. Paul, Minn.) for the Cardinals' second goal. And a two-goal cushion was more than enough for goalkeeper Jon Szafranski (Barrington, Ill.), who stopped all three Ripon shots en route to his first collegiate shutout in his first collegiate start.

"We needed a performance like this heading into our conference schedule," said Dembiec, whose team opens MIAC play on Wednesday, playing host to Hamline. "It's nice for us to come away with a win heading into the Hamline game.

"The season has been a bit of a rollercoaster thus far — we've faced some very good teams, and we've faced some not-so-good teams — but I also think we've learned a lot about ourselves and the potential that this team has.

"We've made some great strides already this season, and I think we are ready to take our game to the next level."