By DONNY NADEAU
Saint Mary's Sports Information Director
 
WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University men's soccer team got off to a rocky start in its nonconference game against Carroll Wednesday evening.
 
And things didn't get much better in the middle or the end of the contest, as the Pioneers scored just 42 seconds into the opening half and never looked back in dealing the Cardinals a 3-0 setback at Ochrymowycz Field.
 
The Pioneers' Shea Connell entered Wednesday's contest boasting a team-leading 11 goals, and he did not take long to net No. 12, beating Saint Mary's goalkeeper Sam Morris (Hockinson, Wash.) before the game was even one minute old.
 
Ricky Perez pushed the Carroll lead to 2-0, corralling a loose ball in front of the Cardinal net and rifling a shot over the outstretched arms of Morris.
 
Saint Mary's had a golden opportunity to whittle the lead down to one in the 25^th minute, but Marco Hernandez's (Eden Prairie, Minn.) shot clanked off the crossbar.
 
Dom Deluca padded the Pioneer lead to 3-0 with his first of the season in the 65^th minute to round out the scoring.
 
Morris finished with five saves in goal for the Cardinals, while Tyler Hanson stopped all seven Saint Mary's shots — including six in the second half, when SMU held a 6-1 advantage in shots on goal.
 
The Cardinals (4-7-0 overall0 get back into Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play on Saturday, hosting Bethel in a 1 p.m. matchup at Ochrymowycz Field. The Pioneers (7-4-0 overall), meanwhile, are back on the road on Saturday, when they return to CCIW action with a 7:30 p.m. showdown with North Central.