WINONA, Minn. — With Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference post-season berths on the line, the Saint Mary's University women's soccer team did its part Tuesday afternoon.
 
And, with an assist from an unlikely source, the Cardinals left Ochrymowycz Field guaranteed a spot in the conference's post-season tournament for the second year in a row.
 
Saint Mary's scored a pair of second-half goals to beat Macalester 2-0, and, with Hamline — a 2-0 victim of the Cardinals last Saturday — delivering a 1-0 victory over Gustavus in their conference matchup Tuesday — SMU secured its coveted post-season invitation.
 
Winners of five straight — including four consecutive 2-0 victories — the Cardinals head into their regular-season finale against St. Scholastica on Saturday sitting in fifth place with 17 points (5-3-2), five points back of fourth-place St. Olaf (which defeated Augsburg 1-0 Tuesday) and five points up on both Macalester (3-4-3) and Gustavus (4-6-0).
 
Through the game's opening 60 minutes against the Scots, it appeared as if the game was headed to a scoreless stalemate — and SMU's post-season playoff berth would have to wait.
 
But up stepped Haddy Falkman (Waconia, Minn.) to propel SMU to the post-season.
 
The Cardinals' goal-scoring leader broke free in the 67th minute, carrying the ball down the field and feathering a shot that  beat Scots' goalkeeper Jocelyn Radke to give the Cardinals a 1-0 edge.
 
Dakota Leonard (Lincolnshire, Ill.) reinforced SMU's advantage, taking a feed from Falkman and nudging one past Radke with five minutes left in regulation to cement the 2-0 victory.
 
Alexis Nguyen (West Corvina, Calif.) did her part between the pipes for Saint Mary's, blocking all scoring attempts by the Scots, including a leaping save six minutes into the second half, to tally her sixth shutout of the season and 15th of her collegiate career.
 
 
 
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