WINONA, Minn. — A chilly, windy night at Ochrymowycz Field did nothing to cool off the Saint Mary's University women's soccer team, as the Cardinals scored the game's only goal midway through the second half in beating Gustavus 1-0 Tuesday evening.
 
A scoreless first half seemed to serve as a warm-up — literally — for a second-half that saw the Cardinals' offense come to life.
 
The second half began in much the same fashion as the first, and it appeared as if the two teams were headed for a scoreless draw.
 
Until SMU's Brooklyn McKinney (Thornton, Colo.) took matters into her own hands, scoring what proved to be the game's only goal — off an assist from Dakota Leonard (Lincolnshire, Ill.) — for a 1-0 lead with less than 17 minutes to play in regulation.
 
McKinney provided the offensive spark the Cardinals needed, and Alexis Nguyen (West Corvina, Calif.) did her part between the pipes at the other end of the field.
 
The reigning MIAC Defensive Player of the Week — and coming off a career-high 12 saves in SMU's 1-1 tie against St. Catherine last Saturday — Nguyen stopped all eight shots she faced, including two jaw-dropping, back-to-back leaping saves late in the second half to preserve the victory. 
 
The Cardinals (1-2-1 MIAC, 3-4-1 overall)  will be back in action on Saturday, when they head to Moorhead, Minn., for a 1 p.m. showdown against Concordia.
 
 
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