NORTHFIELD, Minn. - Led by senior Marco da Cunha (Sr./San Francisco, Calif./San Francisco University), who tallied a goal and an assist in the contest, the Carleton College men's soccer team posted a 2-1 victory over visiting Saint Mary's University in the MIAC opener for both teams.
 
The Knights (3-0-2, 1-0-0 MIAC) put strong pressure on the Cardinals (3-2-0, 0-1-0 MIAC) all game and out-shot the visitors 28-6 on the afternoon.
 
Carleton commanded possession throughout the first half. With strong play on all three levels, the Knights were living in the Saint Mary's defensive third and were rewarded when da Cunha capitalized on a penalty kick in the 20th minute. Not two minutes later, it was Tarek Bos-Shadi (Sr./Kankakee, Ill./Bradley Bourbonnais), on an assist by da Cunha, placing a beautiful shot into the upper corner of the net for the game-winning goal.
 
Carleton would continue their offensive surge thanks to strong play all around, especially the efforts of Trevor Jones (Jr./Urbandale Iowa/Waukee) and Justin Crawmer (Jr./Urbandale Iowa/Waukee).
 
The Knights outshot Saint Mary's 18-2 in the first half, but one of those two shots for the Cardinals was a penalty kick of their own, which Eli Szymanski slotted home in the 34th minute. The penalty kick ended up being the lone shot on goal for Saint Mary's over the course of the entire match.
 
Up Next for the Knights
Carleton heads to St. Peter, Minn. to take on No. 18-ranked Gustavus Adolphus College at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 18.