By DONNY NADEAU
Saint Mary's Sports Information Director
 
WINONA, Minn. — If there's one thing the Saint Mary's University men's soccer team has proven this season, it's that the Cardinals have had a knack for scoring goals.
 
After all, Saint Mary's entered its regular-season finale against St. Thomas having netted 42 goals — the most by a Cardinal team in nearly 30 years.
 
If there's one thing St. Thomas has proven this season, it's that the Tommies are own one of the stingiest defense in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference — heading into Saturday's matchup against the Cardinals boasting a 0.71 goals-against average.
 
Unfortunately for the Cardinals, it was that stifling Tommie defense — not to mention an early game offensive explosion — that won out, as St. Thomas erupted for four first-half goals and tacked on three more in the second half in dealing Saint Mary's a 7-0 setback at Ochrymowycz Field.
 
Despite temperatures in the mid-30s and a wind-chill in the mid-20s, it did not take long for the Tommies' offense to heat up. Jack Barry got UST on the board in the game's second minute, and before the contest was 10 minutes old, Jack Gleckler and Josh Grzesiak had also found the back of the net to give the Tommies a commanding 3-0 advantage.
 
Jacob Makela — who assisted on Gleckler's goal — pushed the St. Thomas lead to 4-0 with a goal in the 19 minute and the Tommies took that four-goal cushion into the halftime break.
 
UST held a 12-1 edge in shots on goal over the opening 45 minutes — including a 7-0 advantage in shots on goal — and the halftime break did nothing to cool off the sizzling Tommies,as Alex Gutenberg, Andrew Shirley and Sean Kurtenbach all scored in the second half to round out the scoring.
 
Saturday's game is the season finale for the Cardinals (4-6-0 MIAC, 8-10-0 overall) — and the last collegiate game for graduating seniors Michael Maniak (Wisconsin Dells, Wis.), Jimmy Perreault (Batavia, Ill.), Zack Bracken (Osseo, Minn.), Josh Balsiger (Camas, Wash.), Kyle Lichttenegger (De Pere, Wis.), Robbie Sobczak (Cloquet, Minn.) and Yael Calderon (Los Angeles, Calif.). The Tommies (9-1-0 MIAC, 11-3-3 overall), meanwhile, have already locked up one of the top two seeds for next week's MIAC Tournament and earned a first-round bye. St. Thomas will host a second-round game on Wednesday at 2 p.m.