DECORAH, Iowa — After five straight games in which the outcome was decided by shutout, the Saint Mary's University women's soccer team's matchup against Luther Wednesday would not be No. 6.
 
First-half goals by both the Cardinals and the Norse made sure of that.
 
That first-half Cardinal, however, would not be enough to solidify a victory, as Luther converted a penalty kick in the 75th minute to deal Saint Mary's a 2-1 nonconference setback.
 
Lauryn Skoruppa (Littleton, Colo.) got things rolling in a positive manner for the Cardinals, scoring her team-leading second goal in the 26th minute, taking a feed from Malerie Williams (Osseo, Minn.) and beating Luther goalkeeper Ken Vavrichek for a 1-0 Saint Mary's lead.
 
The Cardinals maintained that advantage until the 38th minute, when Emma Linn slipped a shot past SMU goalkeeper Megan Nadal (Chino, Calif.) to knot the game at 1-1.
 
Luther grabbed the lead for good with less than 15 minutes remaining, when Megan Haller converted a penalty kick for the 2-1 Norse advantage.
 
Nadal, making her first career start in goal, recorded seven saves in the opening half, while Alexis Nguyen (West Corvina, Calif.) stopped two of the three Luther shots she faced in relief in the second half.
 
The Cardinals (2-4-0 overall) return to Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play on Saturday, playing host to defending MIAC Playoff champion St. Catherine in a 1 p.m. matchup at Ochrymowycz Field.