WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota women's soccer team had the upper hand in the second half of its season-opening nonconference game against Luther Thursday evening at Ochrymowycz Field.
 
In fact, it was the Cardinals' Emily Loof (Colorado Springs, Colo.) who would net the lone goal in the game's second 45 minutes.
 
Unfortunately for coach Neil Cassidy, that lone second-half tally was not enough to dig the Cardinals' out of a first-half hole, as Luther scored twice in the game's opening 45 minutes and held on to hand Saint Mary's a 2-1 setback.
 
The Norse struck early, as Madison Speer found the back of the net in the game's 11^th minute, and, nine minutes later, Ellie Bunz netted her first of the season to give Luther a 2-0 edge heading into halftime.
 
The Cardinals turned up the offensive heat in the second half, and finally broke through with less than 18 minutes remaining, as Loof took a feed from Aubrie Cornell (Columbia, Mo.) and beat Luther goalkeeper Lauren Thormodsgard to pull Saint Mary's within one.
 
That, however, would be as close as the Cardinals would get, as Thormodsgard and the Norse held them at bay over the final 18 minutes to seal the win.
 
Gabriella Pederson (Chaska, Minn.)—making her first collegiate start—finished with eight saves for the Cardinals, including a point-blank stop in the waning seconds to keep it a one-goal game.
 
The Cardinals (0-1-0 overall) are back in action on Monday, traveling to New Ulm, Minn., for a 1 p.m. nonconference game against Martin Luther.