WAVERLY, Iowa — The Saint Mary's University and Wartburg women's soccer teams entered Tuesday's nonconference matchup as virtual mirror images of each other.
 
The Cardinals were unbeaten in their first two games of the young season — posting back-to-back shutouts in beating UM-Morris and Lawrence.
 
Wartburg, meanwhile, was also a perfect 2-0-0 in 2022, and like SMU, the Knights had yet to allow a goal in beating St. Olaf and UW-Eau Claire in their first two contests.
 
There were streaks that had to come to an end.
 
And unfortunately for the Cardinals, it was their season-opening shutout and winning streaks, as Wartburg scored the game's only goal on a penalty kick in the 27th minute in dealing Saint Mary's a 1-0 nonconference setback.
 
The Knights got on the board first — ending Saint Mary's shutout run at 207:53 minutes — when Lauren Kirkie beat SMU goalkeeper Alexis Nguyen (West Corvina, Calif.) on a penalty kick in the 27th minute for a 1-0 Wartburg advantage.
 
Still trailing 1-0 at the break, the Cardinals had a golden opportunity to pull even when Lauren Ashe (Beaverton, Ore.) was awarded a penalty kick just 13 minutes into the second half.
 
Unlike Kirkie, however, Ashe was unable to push her shot past Wartburg goalkeeper Marissa Lopez — and Saint Mary's was left still staring at a one-goal deficit.
 
After managing just two shot attempts over the game's first 60 minutes — including Ashe's PK attempt as the lone shot on goal — the Cardinals turned up the heat over the final 30 minutes of regulation, but could not overcome Wartburg's stifling defense, coming up empty on all four second-half shots on goal.
 
Nguyen did her part in goal for the Cardinals, stopping six of Wartburg's seven shots on goal, while Lopez was flawless between the pipes for the Knights, posting a four-save shutout.
 
The Cardinals (2-1-0 overall) are now off until Sept. 14, when they kick off Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play with a 6 p.m. home game against Carleton at Ochrymowycz Field.