NORTHFIELD, Minn. — With just three Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference games remaining—and the Saint Mary's University of Minnesota men's soccer team in the thick of the conference playoff race—every game becomes a bit more magnified.
 
And when squaring off against a team tied with you in the conference standings, that magnification is even greater.
 
Which is exactly the scenario the Cardinals found themselves in Saturday afternoon when they took to the field against St. Olaf.
 
Saint Mary's and St. Olaf entered Saturday's showdown at Rolf Melby Field in a three-way tie for fourth place in the conference standings—the Cardinals boasting a 3-3-1 MIAC mark, while the Oles were unbeaten at 2-0-4.
 
Unfortunately, when the final horn sounded eight minutes into overtime, it was the Oles who came out with the victory.
 
Trevor Stewart scored the game's only goal with 1:01 remaining in the first overtime, lifting the Oles to a 1-0 victory.
 
Nate Levy (Byron, Minn.) did his part to keep the Cardinals scoreless through the game's 90 minutes of regulation, but Stewart was able to slip one past the junior netminder to seal the Oles' win.
 
Levy finished with seven saves for the Cardinals, while Ben Braman stopped Saint Mary's lone shot on goal in recording the shutout for St. Olaf.
 
The Cardinals (3-4-1 MIAC, 6-6-1 overall) step out of conference play on
Monday, squaring off against Simpson in a 6 p.m. contest at Ochrymowycz Field.