WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University women's soccer team found themselves in the exact same predicament Wednesday evening they were in in their season opener against UW-River Falls on Sunday.
 
Down by a goal at the half.
 
Unfortunately, unlike Sunday, in which Emily Loof (Colorado Springs, Colo.) scored two unanswered goals — including the game-winner midway through the second OT to lift the Cardinals to a 2-1 victory — there would be no second-half heroics this time around.
 
UW-Stout scored single goals in each half — both by Lauren Kizlik — and never let Saint Mary's offense get on track in handing the Cardinals a 2-0 nonconference setback at Ochrymowycz Field.
 
"I thought we played a fairly good game — Stout is a very good team and you have to give them credit, they played very well," said Saint Mary's assistant coach Jeff Halberg. "We made two defensive errors, and that was the difference in the game.
 
"Offensively, we did some good things, we just weren't able to break through."
 
Kizlik got the Blue Devils on the board in the 33rd minute, rifling a shot that eluded Saint Mary's goalkeeper Miranda Halling (Rochester, Minn.) and found the back of the net.
 
The Blue Devils — and Kizlik — would strike again 10 minutes into the second half, as the UW-Stout sophomore again blistered a shot past Halling for her second goal of the evening.
 
Halling was busy in goal for the Cardinals, finishing with seven saves, while UW-Stout goalkeeper Paige Meyer stopped both Saint Mary's shots in recording the season-opening shutout.
 
The Cardinals (1-1-0 overall) are back in action on Saturday, when they face their third straight Wisconsin state school, traveling to Superior, Wis., for a 2 p.m. nonconference contest against UW-Superior.