NEW ULM, Minn. — Saint Mary's University of Minnesota men's soccer coach
Pete Watkins could not have asked for a better season-opener.
After all, the Cardinal offense netted a pair of first-half goals, and the Saint Mary's defense limited Martin Luther to just five shots on goal—all stopped by goalkeepers
Alberto Centeno (Elk Grove Village, Ill.) and
Nate Levy (Byron, Minn.).
And thanks to that lethal 1-2 combination, Watkins and the Cardinals were able to celebrate a season-opening 2-0 nonconference victory.
"It was a very good team win
tonight," said Watkins. "Both keepers had to make some important stops and our strikers worked well off of each other. We are always pleased with a clean sheet—we also saw some things we need to get better at in terms of shape and choices.
"Now we need to learn from this match and be ready for a tough test in North Park (on Saturday)."
The Cardinals did all their offensive damage in the game's opening 45 minutes, as
James Larson (Polson, Mont.) and
Mike Doheny (Lake Zurich, Ill.) both found the back of the net with their first goals of the season.
Larson gave the Cardinals all the offense they would need, scoring 30 minutes into the opening half, and, nine minutes later, Doheny gave Saint Mary's a little breathing room with his first of the season.
Centeno started the game in goal for the Cardinals, stopping both Knight shots he faced, while Levy came on in relief in the second half, also finishing with two saves.
Saint Mary's pepper a pair of Martin Luther goalkeepers with 16 shots, seven in the first half and nine more in the second.
The Cardinals (1-0 overall) are back in action on Sunday, traveling to Chicago, Ill., for an 11 a.m. nonconference game against North Park.
