LACEY, Wash. - Northwest Nazarene scored early in the first half and late in the second for Saint Martin's to suffer its first loss of the season, 2-0, on Saturday afternoon at the Saints Field.
 
Saint Martin's (0-1-1) played their second game of the season against Northwest Nazarene (3-1-1), after splitting with them Friday afternoon at home.
 
It was a slow start for both teams in the first half, with the first shot of the game not happening until the 12th minute. The Saints held the Nighthawks scoreless in the first 29 minutes, saving one of their two shot attempts. It wasn't until the 30-minute mark that the Nighthawks were the first to get on the board and took a 1-0 lead over SMU. The Saints struggled to find the back of the net for the rest of the half with three shot attempts and one saved by the goalkeeper. 
 
Northwest Nazarene increased its lead to 2-0 in the second half at the 71st minute off a header just five yards away that found the net in the upper middle off an assist from a corner kick.
 
The Nighthawks came close to increasing their lead two other times, but Bryce Porter stopped each with a save. 
 
Northwest Nazarene held a 14-7 advantage in total shots and a 7-3 edge in shots on goal for the game.
 
Hunter Askland, who played the first 45 minutes, finished with three saves for the Saints. Porter recorded two saves for the Saints and played the remaining 45 minutes in the goalkeeping position.
 
The Saints will continue at home with a contest facing Pacific Lutheran Saturday, March 18. Kick-off is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. with live stats and video at smusaints.com.