WINONA, Minn. — After suffering a streak-snapping 1-0 loss to St. Olaf on Tuesday, the Saint Mary's University women's soccer team took the field Saturday looking to blow off some steam — and get its offense back on track in the process.
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Having scored more than one goal just twice through their first 14 games — a season-opening 6-0 win over UMN Morris and 2-0 victory over Bethel last Saturday — the Cardinals looked like their offense was in for a third multiple-goal game against the Saints, scoring the game's first goal less than five minutes into the first half.
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Unfortunately, that would be the only goal the Cardinals would score, and St. Scholastica would net the game-tying tally 20 minutes into the second half, as SMU and CSS battled to a 1-1 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference stalemate Saturday afternoon at Ochrymowycz Field.
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Ella Lahart (Sherwood, Ore.) put the Cardinals on the board at 4:30 of the first half, taking a feed from
Lauren Ashe (Beaverton, Ore.) and beating CSS goalkeeper Gracie Meagher for an early 1-0 Saint Mary's lead.
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Lahart's goal — which marked the sixth time in 14 games this season in which SMU has scored in the opening eight minutes — was the only tally of the opening half, as the Cardinals carried that 1-0 lead into the break.
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The Saints netted the equalizer with less than 26 minutes remaining in regulation, as Abigail Shrode converted a penalty kick — the first PK awarded against Saint Mary's this season.
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Saint Mary's had several great scoring chances over the final 26 minutes, but was unable to break the deadlock, instead settling for their first conference tie of the season.
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McKenzie Munson (Plain City, Utah) and
Anna Peckosh (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) shared the goalkeeping duties for the Cardinals, with each making one save. Meagher, meanwhile, finished with six saves between the pipes for CSS
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The Cardinals (2-5-1 MIAC, 7-6-2 overall) are back in action on Wednesday, when they head to St. Paul, Minn., for a 7:30 p.m. conference matchup against Macalester.
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