MOUNT VERNON, Iowa — After giving up three goals in each of their last two games—back-to-back losses to Augsburg and Carleton—the Saint Mary's University men's soccer team decided to get a bit defensive Wednesday afternoon.
Make that very defensive.
The Cardinals held Cornell to just one shot on goal—in the game's opening minute—as Saint Mary's snapped that two-game slide with a 4-0 nonconference victory.
The Cardinals did not waste any time getting its offense off and running, as
Ryan Geidner (Antioch, Ill.) scored his third goal of the season just six minutes into the opening half to give Saint Mary's an early 1-0 lead.
And that was just the beginning—for Geidner and the Cardinals.
Geidner added his second goal of the first half in the 22nd minute, giving Saint Mary's a 2-0 lead—and a 10-1 edge in shots on goal—heading into the halftime break.
It was more of the same in the second half, as the Cardinals netted two more goals in the game's final 45 minutes—the first by
Brett Heimerdinger (LaGrange, Ill.) in the 80th minute and the second by
Carlos Hernandez (Cicero, Ill.) with 16 seconds remaining in regulation.
Joey Petrich (Elk River, Minn.) started in goal for the Cardinals, making his lone save just a minute into the opening half.
Evan Claffy (Joliet, Ill.) came in and played the final 6:45 to combine with Petrich on the shutout. Cornell goalie Shaun Boerner, meanwhile, finished with 10 saves on 14 shots.
The Cardinals (3-3-1 overall) return to Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play on Saturday, as Saint Mary's hosts St. Thomas in a 6 p.m. matchup at Ochrymowycz Field.
