The problem was, getting those shots to go in.

That was until Ryan Rademacher (La Crosse, Wis.) stepped up.

Rademacher stepped up and scored the lone goal of the game in the 79th minute to lift the Cardinals to a 1-0 nonconference win over the Muskies at Ochrymowycz Field.

“We struggled to get our shots on the net all day,” Rademacher said. “We had the opportunities, but just couldn't put one home.”

Rademacher's goal came on a free kick from just outside the box, drilling a laser into the lower right-hand corner, just out of the reach of Lakeland goalie Alex Piekarski's outstretched hands.

“I was just trying to get a good shot on the net,” Rademacher said. “Hoping that even if it didn't go in, there would be an opportunity for one of our guys to get the rebound.”

“It was nice to see us get the opportunities tonight, but we need to capitalize on them more,” said SMU coach Chris Dembiec, whose team was coming off a 1-0 loss to Ripon on Saturday in which the Cardinals managed just two shots on goal. “We had a few early moments where we missed out on some great chances, but we got frustrated with ourselves, rather than realizing we can create those chances again for ourselves.”

Thanks to Rademacher's second-half heroics, the Cardinals push their overall record to 2-1-0 heading into Tuesday's nonconference game at Crown — where they hope to continue to build on their success.

“Ryan had a great game beyond that goal,” Dembiec said. “But he's been around and we expect him to step up.

“You always feel better after a win, but we need to put it in perspective and realize we still have work to be done.”