ARDEN HILLS, Minn. — On paper, Bethel entered Saturday's contest against Saint Mary's as the heavy favorite.
After all, Bethel was a perfect 4-0 on its home—not to mention riding a four-game winning streak in which the Royals had outscored their opponents 18-1.
The Cardinals, meanwhile, headed to BU's Ona Orth Athletic Complex still searching for their first conference win—having scored just one goal in losses to Augsburg and Saint Benedict.
In other words, the teams' showdown should have been a walk in the park for the Royals.
Should have been.
Saint Mary's, however, had other ideas.
The Cardinals—behind first-half goals by
Becca Dup (Albert Lea, Minn.) and
Emma Schaefer (Roseville, Minn.)—held the upper hand for the majority of the game's opening 45 minutes.
Unfortunately, over the game's final 50 minutes—the last five minutes of the first half and the 45 minutes of the second—it was all Bethel, as the Royals scored three unanswered goals in handing Saint Mary's a 4-2 setback.
Bethel struck first on goal by M0kayla Nordin in the 19
th minute, but Saint Mary's came storming back, getting the equalizer from Dup in the 26
th minute, and Schaefer's team-leading third of the season six minutes later to give the Cardinals the 2-1 advantage.
The Royals netted the equalizer with less than five minutes remaining in the half, then got second-half tallies from Maggie Sipe and Brooke Ogne to seal the win.
Gabriella Pederson (Chaska, Minn.) finished with equaled her career high with eight saves in goal for the Cardinals—making four saves in each half.
Saint Mary's (0-3-0 MIAC, 2-5-1 overall) returns to conference play on Wednesday, traveling to St. Peter, Minn., for a 4 p.m. matchup against Gustavus.
