WINONA, Minn. — When the Saint Mary's University men's soccer team dropped a 2-0 nonconference decision to UW-Oshkosh on Oct. 13, coach Eric Luzzi questioned the Cardinals' motivation when the games were outside their conference schedule.

After all, following that loss to the Titans, the Cardinals were a dismal 1-4-1 in non-league games — with their lone win coming in a season-opening 3-1 triumph over Viterbo.

Last weekend, Luzzi got his answer — much to the dismay of Rockford and Benedictine.

All season long, Brian Reddish (Crystal Lake, Ill.) has been the Cardinals' setup man. Through the Cardinals' first 11 games, Reddish had amassed a team-high four assists. The SMU freshman picked the perfect time to step out of the shadows and onto center stage as Reddish scored a pair of first-half goals — the first two of his collegiate career — as the Cardinals held off Rockford 2-1 in a nonconference game Friday.

Two days later, senior Shawn Stewart (McHenry, Ill.) scored his first three goals of the season — and the first hat trick of his career — as the Cardinals shut out Benedictine 4-0 Sunday afternoon.

"It was good for us to come away with two wins, but we still aren't playing as well as we are capable," said Luzzi. "We came out a little flat against Rockford, and once we got the big lead (against Benedictine) we seemed to let up a bit.

"But I guess it's nice to know that we can play 30 minutes of really good soccer and come away with two wins."

Thirty minutes of good soccer won't be enough this Saturday, when the Cardinals return to conference play against St. John's.

"The St. John's game is a big, big game for us," said Luzzi, whose team is currently one point behind the Johnnies for third place in the conference. "This is the home stretch for us — we've got a week to prepare for St. John's, and then it's five conference games in 15 days. We're still in the hunt (for the conference title), but we've got to make sure we are playing our best soccer over these last two weeks."

• THIS AND THAT: It was a weekend of firsts for the Cardinals — their first two-game winning streak, Brian Reddish's (Crystal Lake, Ill.) first two goals of his career, and Shawn Stewart's (McHenry, Ill.) first three goals of the season and first career hat trick. … Along with his two goals, Reddish also picked up a pair of assists vs. Benedictine to push his team lead to six. … Mike Boland (Lake Zurich, Ill.) continues to lead the team in goals (9) and points (20). … Fifteen of SMU's 21 goals have come in the first half, while 13 of the Cardinals' opponents' 20 goals have come in the second half. … SMU has won three of its last four and four of its last six.