By DONNY NADEAU
Saint Mary's Sports Information Director
 
ST. PAUL, Minn. — It's been a long time since the Saint Mary's University women's soccer team put together a 10-win season — 12 years, to be exact.
 
And all this year's Cardinals needed to do to accomplish that elusive feat was take down Macalester … on the road … on their home turf.
 
Mission accomplished.
 
The Cardinals erupted for a pair of second-half goals four minutes apart en route to a 2-0 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference win over Macalester Wednesday evening — and that coveted 10th win of the season.
 
After a scoreless first half, the Cardinals turned up the offensive heat — with Nicole Thompson (Riverside, Calif.) igniting the flame.
 
Thompson broke the scoreless deadlock with her third goal of the season, an unassisted tally, in the 58th minute, picked up the assist on Kassie Arriaga's (Chula Vista, Calif.) goal four minutes later to give the Cardinals a commanding 2-0 advantage.
 
And a two-goal advantage was more than enough with Gabriella Pederson (Chaska, Minn.) protecting the Cardinal net.
 
Pederson — fresh off a four-save shutout against Hamline last Saturday — equaled that feat on Wednesday, stopping all four Scots' shots she faced in posting her eighth shutout of the season. Kate Lawhead finished with five saves in goal for the Scots.
 
The Cardinals (3-6-1 MIAC, 10-6-1 overall) — winners of four straight and unbeaten in their last five (4-0-1) — close out the regular season on their home turf on Saturday, hosting No. 19 St. Thomas in a 3:30 p.m. MIAC contest at Ochrymowycz Field. The Scots (2-7-1 MIAC, 2-13-1 overall), meanwhile, hit the road to close out their regular-season schedule, heading to St. Peter, Minn., on Saturday for a 3:30 p.m. conference showdown against Gustavus.