MORRIS, Minn. – The University of Minnesota Morris women's soccer team opened its 2023 campaign with a 6-0 non-conference loss to Saint Mary's University on Friday night at Cougar Field.

A turnover in their defensive third from the Cougars allowed Saint Mary's to record the first goal of the night in the eighth minute from Genesis Capacio. Minnesota Morris then kept things close for more than 20 minutes and even had a shot from Caroline O'Donnell ping off the crossbar before the Cardinals added onto their lead with a cross from Lauryn Skoruppa that floated and floated before hitting the back of the net in the 32nd minute. SMU added one more goal in the 42nd minute to take a 3-0 lead at the break.

The Saint Mary's offense went to work quickly in the second half, notching three more goals in the first 11 minutes after the restart. Impressively, the Cardinals ended with six different goal-scorers on the night and Samantha Munson was the lone player to record more than one assist. The Saint Mary's shutout was preserved once again thanks to the crossbar in the second half, with a Jadyn Sondrol header getting denied by the woodwork. 

O'Donnell and Bella Toth had two shots apiece in the game, with Toth and Erin Wallace forcing saves from a pair of Saint Mary's keepers. Danielle Reinhard made 10 saves in her 45 minutes of action in goal for the Cougars, while CJ Frear-Boerner made four saves and Chantel Peralta made one.

Minnesota Morris takes on Augsburg University in Minneapolis on Sunday night beginning at 6 p.m.