WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota men's soccer team (4-10-3, 1-7-1) battled hard on Tuesday afternoon at Ochrymowycz Field, but Saint John's (11-4-3, 4-4-1) pulled away in the second half for a league 5–1 win.
Goalkeeper Ryan Horlock was busy between the posts, turning away 15 shots against a relentless Johnnie attack. The Cardinals found their spark late, as Ivan Ruiz capitalized on a clean setup from Zach Newby and Stanley Ooga to put Saint Mary's on the board in the 84th minute.
The first half was a defensive grind, with Horlock and the back line holding firm to keep things scoreless heading into halftime.
Saint Mary's created a few looks of their own including chances from Caleb Gilbert and Leonardo Hernandez but couldn't quite break through before the break.
Saint John's broke the tie early in the second half with a penalty kick and added a pair of quick goals midway through to build a lead.
Ruiz's late finish from a clean ball across the box gave the Cardinals a well-earned highlight, though the Johnnies added one final tally in the closing minute to seal the result.
The Cardinals now turn their attention to its next matchup and bounce back and close out the regular season on a high note hosting Gustavus on Saturday, November 1 for a 1:00 p.m. kickoff.
