NORTHFIELD, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University men's soccer team took the field for Wednesday's Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference showdown with St. Olaf riding a wave of momentum.
 
Having posted three wins and a pair of ties in their last five games, the Cardinals were one of the hottest teams in the MIAC.
 
As hot as the Cardinals were, however, St. Olaf was even hotter — having rattled off seven wins and a tie in its last eight contests.
 
And the tsunami that was the Ole offense was just too much for the Cardinals to withstand, as No. 23 St. Olaf erupted for six goals — including four in the second half — in dealing Saint Mary's a streak-snapping 6-0 conference setback at Rolf Melby Field.
 
Wednesday's showdown against the Oles was the second time this season the Cardinals had squared off against a team ranked No. 23 in the latest United Soccer Coaches Top 25, having knocked off then-No. 23 Gustavus 1-0 on Oct. 3 — marking the first time in program history SMU had beaten a nationally ranked team.
 
Unfortunately, the end result wasn't as favorable this time around.
 
The Oles jumped out to the early lead, scoring the only goal of the first half in the 23rd minute, when Ben Beckman blistered a shot past SMU goalkeeper Daniel Sessler (Brookfield, Ill.). Eleven minutes later, St. Olaf's lead climbed to 2-0, thanks to a tally by Clemente Arcuch Puig, who lifted a shot from just inside the box over the outstretched arms of Sessler and into the upper left-hand corner.
 
The halftime break did nothing to slow down the Oles, who extended their lead to 3-0 just three minutes into the second half, before adding three more goals over the final 40 minutes to ice the lopsided victory.
 
The Cardinals (2-3-1 MIAC, 6-4-3 overall) are back in action on Saturday, when they return home to Ochrymowycz Field for a 1 p.m. conference showdown with St. Scholastica.
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