The Cardinals scored a single goal in the first half and two more in the second en route to a 3-0 nonconference win over Marian Wednesday evening at Ochrymowycz Field.

The first half started well for the Cardinals, as Steve Boussie (Troy, Mich.) found the back of the net after he received a feed from Juamaine Venter (Rochester, Minn.) only eight minutes into the match.

The Cardinals nearly pushed their advantage to 3-0 before the halftime break, as seniors Venter and Ryan Rademacher (La Crosse, Wis.) each had shots that caromed off of the goal post.

Boussie and Venter met again in the second half, as a spin move by Boussie led to a crisp pass to Venter inside the penalty box. Venter knocked in the goal with ease to put the Cardinals up 2-0 in the 57th minute.

“It's great to have goal scorers returning,” said SMU coach Chris Dembiec. “(Boussie and Venter) combine well. Chemistry has been lacking in practice a little bit, so to see that in a real game was encouraging.”

Boussie had a hand — make that foot — in the Cardinals' third goal, as well, as the senior dished a pass to freshman Zach Palma (Washburn, Wis.) who netted his first collegiate goal to round out the scoring.

“Zach Palma definitely took full advantage of his minutes tonight,” said Dembiec. “Patrick Moore (Woodbury, Minn.) also did well. These guys are gaining trust.”

Phill Rendell (Denver, Colo.) proved to be another impact freshman, as the keeper was perfect in his first collegiate experience, stopping both Marian shots he faced, before giving way to junior Chris Williams (Chicago, Ill.) in the 73rd minute.

“The defense was brilliant with Bryan Neu (Hoffman Estates, Ill.), Gunnar Knutson (Minneapolis, Minn.), Andy Adair (Woodbury, Minn.) and Ryan Rademacher,” said Dembiec. “The big thing for us today was managing pace. Guys with experience manage pace.”

The Cardinals are back in action this weekend, playing host to Ripon (Saturday) and Lakeland (Sunday) at Ochrymowycz Field.