WINONA, Minn. — For the ninth time in the last 11 games, the Saint Mary's University men's soccer team found themselves embroiled in a game that would be decided by one goal Saturday afternoon against Bethel.
 
And, unfortunately for SMU, it was the Cardinals' opponent who held the game-ending, one-goal advantage, as the Royals scored the game's only goal with less than four minutes remaining in the second overtime in dealing Saint Mary's a 1-0 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference setback at Ochrymowycz Field.
 
After a scoreless regulation — and the first 10-minute extra session — the Cardinals appeared to have finally found themselves on the winning end of a one-goal game, as Aidan Adamek (Helena, Mont.) took a Garrison Corn (Grand Junction, Colo.) free kick and beat BU goalkeeper Colin Hubert three minutes into the second OT.
 
Adamek, however, was ruled to be offsides, and the Cardinals' emotions plummeted from the thrill of victory to the agony of defeat when — less than three minutes later — Keegan Mellema beat Daniel Sessler (Brookfield, Ill.) to give the Royals the 1-0 victory.
 
Sessler finished with five saves in goal for the Cardinals, while Hupert stopped all four Saint Mary's shots on goal in recording the shutout.
 
The Cardinals (0-9-0 MIAC, 3-11-0 overall) are now off until next Saturday, when they travel to Hamline's Patterson Field in St. Paul, Minn., for a 12:30 p.m. conference matchup against the Pipers.