WINONA, Minn. — The last time the Saint Mary's University of Minnesota men's soccer team squared off against North Central (Minn.), the Rams held the Cardinals scoreless in a 0-0, double-overtime tie.
 
The Rams held Saint Mary's scoreless again Thursday evening — for the game's first minute.
 
And then the Cardinals opened the floodgates.
 
Saint Mary's scored three first-half goals — including the first just a minute into the opening half — as the Cardinals cruised to a 4-0 nonconference victory over North Central at Ochrymowycz Field.
 
"It was a good win for us," said Saint Mary's coach Pete Watkins. "That early goal really gave us a boost — I think was we put that one in, everyone relaxed a bit and just focused on playing good soccer.
 
"We had a lot of young guys out there tonight, and I think they were all up to the challenge," Watkins added. "It was good to see them connect with some of the older players.
 
"All-in-all, it was a good team effort — and a good team win."
 
Jim Dreshar (Hugo, Minn.) got the Cardinals on the board with his first of the season before most of the Cardinal faithful even got comfortable in their seats, taking a feed from Cody Balogh (Batavia, Ill.) and beating North Central goalkeeper Evan Hartwig.
 
Shawn Gilbert (Rice Lake, Wis.), Joe Bosco (Elk Grove Village, Ill.) and Jared Wolt (Farmington, Minn.) would all score goals in a 10-minute span — Gilbert and Bosco late in the first half and Wolt just two minutes into the second — to seal win No. 1 on the season for Saint Mary's.
 
Like Dreshar and Gilbert, it was the first collegiate goal as a Cardinal for Wolt.
 
The Cardinals (1-1-0 overall) are back in action on Saturday, traveling to St. Bonifacius, Minn., for a 7 p.m. nonconference game against Crown.