MOORHEAD, Minn. — A second-half strike from Ivan Ruiz and a lockdown performance in goal by Ryan Horlock propelled the Saint Mary's University men's soccer team (3-6-3, 1-3-1) to a hard-fought 1-0 road victory over Concordia-Moorhead (0-7-4, 0-3-1) on Saturday afternoon marking the Cardinals first conference win of the season.

The Cardinals turned in a complete performance on both ends of the field, combining organized defense with timely attacking play to earn the shutout.

After a scoreless first half that saw chances on both sides including two saves by Horlock and four shots from the Cardinal attack it was Ruiz who broke through in the 59th minute. 

The forward finished low to the left side off a well-timed assist from Thomas Laaksonen, giving Saint Mary's the lead and the game's only goal.

The Cardinals backline held firm under late pressure, with Horlock making five total saves, including a critical stop in the 80th minute to preserve the lead. Saint Mary's kept Concordia off the scoreboard despite multiple second-half set pieces and a flurry of substitutions by the Cobbers in search of an equalizer.

Saint Mary's finished the match with 13 shots and generated seven corner kicks, controlling long stretches of possession in the second half. Ruiz led the attack with two shots on goal, while Jaydon Singel, Cohan Hare, and Caleb Gilbert each contributed attempts to keep the Cobber defense under pressure.

The clean sheet was the second of the season for Horlock and Saint Mary's.

With the win, Saint Mary's picks up key conference points.

The Cardinals will face their final game of nonconference at home on Wednesday, October 8th for a 7:00 p.m. kickoff.