Saint Mary's University of Minnesota Athletics

NORTHFIELD, Minn. – The Saint Mary's men's soccer team (0-4-1, 0-1-0) not only battled the No. 2-ranked St. Olaf Oles (7-0-0, 1-0-0), but they also battled rainfall. The Cardinals showed a solid outing against one of the best teams in the nation, keeping the game a one-score battle across 65 minutes of action. 

The Cardinals dropped the Saturday afternoon matchup 2-0 as it was each team's conference opener. 

Five minutes into the match, the Oles scored to take an early lead.

The Oles had a penalty kick opportunity three minutes later to extend the lead, but senior goalkeeper Ryan Horlock blocked the opportunity on his impressive outing. Horlock made five saves across the 90 minutes of action.

The Cardinals had their own penalty kick opportunity to even the game at the 26-minute mark by Francesco Cardone. The shot was narrowly saved.

Trailing by one into halftime, the Cardinals leapt forward looking for the upset.

A goal at the 66-minute mark shut the door on any hopes of a comeback.

The Cardinals had nine shots in the second half, three on goal, to the Oles 11 shots, eight on goal.

It was a battle till the end. 

Looking Ahead

The Cardinals will face the Augsburg Auggies on Tuesday, Sept. 22, in Minneapolis, Minn., for a 7:30 p.m. matchup, each team looking for its first win in conference play.