NORTHFIELD, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University men's soccer team did not get off on the right foot in its Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference game against St. Olaf — surrendering a goal just four minutes into the first half.
 
Unfortunately for the Cardinals, things went from bad to worse, as St. Olaf erupted for three more goals before the game was 14 minutes old.
 
And the Cardinals were unable to recover from the early Ole onslaught, as St. Olaf dealt Saint Mary's a 6-0 conference setback Tuesday afternoon at Rolf Melby Field.
 
Casey McCloskey kicked things off for the Oles in the fourth minute, feathering a low shot past Cardinal goalkeeper Jake Wing (Verona, Wis.) for an early 1-0 St. Olaf advantage.
 
Victor Gaulmin made it 2-0 in the seventh minute, before McClaskey and Robi Buzakovic scored less than two minutes apart before the clock hit the 14-minute mark to make it a four-goal St. Olaf cushion.
 
Caspar Olseth tacked on St. Olaf's fifth tally of the opening half, leaving the Cardinals staring at a 5-0 deficit heading into the halftime break.
 
And the 15-minute intermission did nothing to cool off the Oles, who pushed their lead to 6-0 15 minutes into the second half on Olseth's second tally of the game.
 
St. Olaf closed out the contest attempting 30 shots — including 21 in the first half — while holding a 12-2 advantage in shots on goal.
 
Wing finished with six saves in 74:00 minutes between the pipes, while Connor Petrich (Arden Hills, Minn.) did not have to make a stop in 16:00 minutes of relief. St. Olaf's Austin Williams and Peter Forseth combined on the shutout, with Williams stopping both SMU first-half shots.
 
The Cardinals (0-5-1 MIAC, 3-7-3 overall) are back in action — and back on the road — on Saturday, heading to Arden Hills, Minn., for a 3:30 p.m. conference matchup against Bethel.
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