ST. PAUL, Minn. — With 16 games decided by one goal or less between the two of them, it should come as no surprise to anyone that Saturday's Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference clash between the Saint Mary's University and Hamline men's soccer teams would follow suit.
 
After all, Saint Mary's entered Saturday's matchup having played nine one-goal games in their last 11 contests, while Hamline had played seven games decided by one goal or less — including six that went into overtime.
 
And Saturday's end result did no waver from the script, as the two teams battled to a 1-1, two-overtime draw at HU's Pat Paterson Field.
 
The Pipers wasted no time getting on the scoreboard, as Logan Weller scored on Hamline's very first shot — just 39 seconds in.
 
Hamline nursed that one-goal lead for the remainder of the first half, and through the first 23 minutes of the second half, before the Cardinals finally broke through when Aidan Adamek (Helena, Mont.) took a feed from R.J. Vazquez (Antioch, Ill.) and beat HU goalkeeper Luke Rimington for his first collegiate goal — pulling SMU even, 1-1.
 
Neither team could break the deadlock over the final 22 minutes or regulation, or in the two 10-minute overtime periods.
 
Daniel Sessler (Brookfield, Ill.) finished with four saves in goal for the Cardinals, while Rimington had seven saves between the pipes for Hamline.
 
The Cardinals (0-8-1 MIAC, 3-11-1 overall) are right back in action on Tuesday, as they head to St. Paul, Minn., for their final conference contest of the season, a 7:30 p.m. showdown against Macalester.