WINONA, Minn. — Through the first two games of the season, defense had been the name of the game for the Saint Mary's University women's soccer team — with the Cardinals allowing just three total shots in shutout wins over UW-Superior and Coe.
 
Monday evening, the Cardinals' defense was at it again — holding visiting Martin Luther to just one shot — but this time around, it was SMU's offense that earned top billing.
 
 The Cardinals erupted for 11 goals — including two-goal efforts from four different players — as Saint Mary's rolled to an 11-0 victory over the Knights at Ochrymowycz Field.
 
Saint Mary's — which has now posted three straight one-save shutouts — did not waste any time proving its dominance against the Knights, scoring four times in the game's opening 20 minutes.
 
Jordyn Matthews (Seattle, Wash.) opened the floodgates for the Cardinals, netting the first of her two goals just three minutes into the first half. Haddy Falkman (Waconia, Minn.) scored six minutes later, and Kassie Arriaga (Chula Vista, Calif.) found the back of the net twice in a four-minute span to push the Saint Mary's lead to 4-0.
 
And the Cardinals were just getting started.
 
Matthews added her second of the game in the 23rd minute, and Brooklyn McKinney (Thornton, Colo.), Jenna Zimmer (Calgary, Alberta), Megan Trindle (Castle Rock, Colo.), and Kaley Manglitz (Onalaska, Wis.) would also etch their names on the scoresheet in the game's opening 45 minutes, as Saint Mary's took a 9-0 advantage into the halftime intermission.
 
McKinney and Trindle would each add their second goals of the game five minutes apart late in the second half to round out the scoring.
 
Alexis Nguyen (West Corvina, Calif.) stopped MLC's lone shot — off the foot of Samantha Colvin on a first-half free kick — before giving way to Madison Mora (Honolulu, Hawaii ), who did not face a shot in her 45 minutes of work.
 
The Cardinals (3-0-0 overall) are back in action this weekend, heading to Fond du Lac, Wis., for a noon matchup against Marian on Saturday, before heading on to Ripon, Wis., to take on Ripon at 1 p.m. the following afternoon.