NEW ULM, Minn. — All it took was a little wake-up call for the Saint Mary's University of Minnesota women's soccer team's offense to come out of hibernation Monday afternoon.
And that wake-up call was a 2-0 deficit early in the first half of the Cardinals' nonconference game against Martin Luther.
Down 2-0 before the game was even 20 minutes old, the Cardinals erupted for three first-half goals—including a tally by
Emma Schaefer (Roseville, Minn.) with less than a minute remaining—and never took their foot off the accelerator, cruising to a 7-2 victory over the Knights.
Martin Luther had all the momentum early, as Martha Balge and Jenna Maurer each found the back of the net to give the Vikings a 2-0 advantage.
The two-goal cushion did not last long, however, as Schaefer scored the first of her two first-half goals just 40 seconds after Maurer's tally to cut the gap to 2-1.
Maddy Wallraff (Blaine, Minn.) pulled the Cardinals even—off an assist from Schaefer—in the 39
th minute, and Schaefer completed the three-goal, first-half offensive explosion with her first of the season with 49 seconds remaining.
And the Cardinals picked up right where they left off after the intermission, getting a goal from
Bridgett Leverich (Oswego, Ill.)—off an assist from Cornell—just seven minutes into the second half.
Hailey Cottle (Orting, Wash.) got into the act 10 minutes later, taking a pass from Wallraff and beating MLC goalkeeper Julia Barthels for her first collegiate goal. Fifteen minutes later,
Anna Taylor (St. Paul, Minn.) scored her first of the season to push Saint Mary's lead to 6-2, with Wallraff collecting her second of the afternoon in the 83
rd minute to round out the scoring.
Sara Sieracki (Schererville, Ind.) and
Gabriella Pederson (Chaska, Minn.) shared the goalkeeping duties for the Cardinals, with Sieracki making four first-half saves, while Pederson recorded three saves in the second half.
The Cardinals (1-1-0 overall) are back in action on Friday, returning home to Ochrymowycz Field to host Benedictine in a 4 p.m. nonconference contest.