WINONA, Minn. — Heading into their nonconference showdown against North Park Sunday afternoon, Saint Mary's University of Minnesota men's soccer coach Corbin Bowers knew a fast start would be crucial.
 
And there certainly was a fast start—two goals in six minutes, and four goals in 18 minutes.
 
Unfortunately for Bowers, it was the Vikings who were off and running early, as North Park raced out to a 4-0 lead before the game was 20 minutes old and never looked back in dealing the Cardinals a 7-0 setback at Ochrymowycz Field.
 
Carel Kuzona got the Vikings on the board early, scoring North Park's first two goals—one in the second minute and another in the sixth—while Matias Warp and Peder Nalum Olsen pushed that lead to 4-0 with back-to-back goals less than a minute apart before the game hit the 18 minute mark.
 
Olsen added his second of the game 1:56 into the second half, and Eric Davies and Shatil Khoury completed a three-goal North Park second half to close out the scoring.
 
Alberto Centeno (Elk Grove Village, Ill.) finished with six saves in goal for the Cardinals, while Mathias Stulen stopped both Cardinal shots in recording the shutout for North Park (4-1-0 overall).
 
After back-to-back home games, the Cardinals (4-3-0 overall) hit the road on Wednesday, traveling to Chicago, Ill, for a 6 p.m. nonconference game against Illinois Institute of Technology.