NORTHFIELD, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota women's soccer team entered Wednesday's Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference game against Carleton looking to kick off the final week of the season on a positive note.
 
Carleton, however, had other ideas.
 
Or maybe it was the same idea.
 
The Knights began their final week of the regular season in winning fashion—scoring just 19 minutes into the opening half, and never letting the Cardinals get their offense on track, as Carleton dealt Saint Mary's a 2-0 setback at Bell Field.
 
Libby Franchot proved to be a real thorn in the Cardinals' side, as the Knight freshman netted both of Carleton's goals—one in the first half and the other in the second.
 
Franchot found the back of the net with an unassisted tally in the 19^th minute, collecting a loose ball and beating Cardinal goalkeeper Gabriella Pederson (Chaska, Minn.) for her fourth goal of the season.
 
The Knights maintained that one-goal advantage until the 79^th minute, when Franchot struck again, taking a feed from Emma Wasend and pushing the ball past Pederson.
 
Pederson was busy between the pipes for the Cardinals, collecting nine saves, while Anna Roethler stopped a pair of shots to earn the shutout in goal for the Knights.
 
The Cardinals (0-9-1 MIAC, 5-11-1 overall) close out their season on Saturday, entertaining Concordia in a 3:30 p.m. conference matchup at Ochrymowycz Field. Saturday's contest will also be the final collegiate game for Cardinal seniors Carina Friend (Colorado Springs, Colo.), Marissa Carlyle (San Jose, Calif.), Sarah Egbert (Colorado Springs, Colo.), Emily Loof (Colorado Springs, Colo.), Molly Homeyer (Arlington, Texas), and Abby Lafko (Gilbert, Ariz.)