ST. JOSEPH, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University women's soccer team hits the road on Saturday, traveling to Saint Benedict for a 1 p.m. Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference game against the Blazers.



The Matchups:
Saint Mary's Cardinals (1-7-0 MIAC | 3-11-0 Overall)
at Saint Benedict Blazers (6-1-1 MIAC | 9-5-1 Overall)

Last Action:
The Cardinals gave up a pair of first-half goals and never recovered, falling to UW-Stevens Point 2-0 in a nonconference game at Ochrymowycz Field Wednesday. … Saint Benedict, meanwhile, stepped out of conference play Wednesday, beating UW-River Falls 2-1 in St. Joseph, Minn.

Cardinals vs. Saint Benedict — Their Last Meeting:
October 23, 2010: Playing for their MIAC playoff lives, the Cardinals were hoping for a big win at home against the College of St. Benedict Saturday evening. Unfortunately for the Cardinals the Blazers had other ideas as they used two second-half goals to top the Cardinals 2-1 at Ochrymowycz Field.

Up Next:
The Cardinals head to St. Paul, Minn., for their final road game of the season on Wednesday, as SMU travels to Macalester for a 7:30 p.m. conference contest against the Scots. … Saint Benedict, meanwhile, is also back in action on Wednesday, hosting Hamline in a 3:30 p.m. MIAC game in St. Joseph, Minn.

Saint Mary's Cardinals News and Notes:
2011 Roster | 2011 Overall Statistics | 2011 Schedule
Last Wednesday game against UW-Stevens Point was not only the Cardinals' fourth straight home contest, but it was also the last nonconference game of the season for SMU. … The Cardinals close out their season with back-to-back road games at Saint Benedict and Macalester (next Wednesday), before ending the regular season at home against Augsburg. … Freshman goalkeeper Miranda Halling (Rochester, Minn.) made her fifth straight start Wednesday against UW-Stevens Point, stopping three of the five shots she faced. … Halling has now started eight games in goal for SMU, compiling a 1.35 goals-against-average, while stopping 53 of the 64 shots she's faced. … Both of SMU's wins this season have come by 3-1 scores — the Cardinals beat Marian 3-1 on Sept. 11 and snapped their eight-game losing streak with a 3-1 win over St. Catherine last Saturday. … The Cardinals' three goals vs. the Wildcats last Saturday came from three different players — Rachel Gates-Vickery (New Brighton, Minn.), Kelsey Schneider (Portland, Ore.) and Tessa Scanlon (Cologne, Minn.). The goals were the first of the season for all three, and the first of her collegiate career for Scanlon. … Schneider also assisted on Gates-Vickery's goal, giving the Cardinal senior the second multiple-point game of her career. Schneider also had a goal and an assist against Marian last season. … Amanda Rahman (Rochester, Minn.) enters Saturday's game against Saint Benedict boasting a team-leading three goals, while Teri Valenzuela (Morton Grove, Ill.) is second with two goals. … Rahman's three goals this season are two shy of her single-season career high and give the senior 12 goals in her four-year collegiate career.. … Rahman also leads the team in points with six, while Valenzuea is second in both goals (2) and points (5). …  The Cardinals' 2-1, double-overtime loss to Hamline on Oct. 9 marked the second time this season SMU has fallen in 2 OTs. SMU also dropped a 1-0, double-overtime game to UW-La Crosse on Sept. 21. … SMU's 1-0 loss to Carleton last Wednesday marked the fifth time this season the Cardinals have dropped a 1-0 decision. … Five of SMU's eight goals this season have come in the first half. …  SMU coach Neil Cassidy earned his first win as the Cardinals' head coach with their 3-1 win over Marian on Sept. 11, then earned his first MIAC win with SMU's latest 3-1 win over St. Catherine on Saturday.

Saint Benedict Blazers News and Notes:
2011 Roster | 2011 Overall Statistics | 2011 Schedule
League-leading Saint Benedict enters Saturday's game against Saint Mary's with a one-point lead over Concordia and a two-point lead over St. Olaf in the conference standings with three MIAC games remaining. … Saturday's game against Saint Mary's is the final home game for the Blazers — and the final collegiate home game for CSB seniors Heather Beshears, Olivia Wee, Stephanie Gibbs, Sami Meyman and Kelsey Faber. …  CSB's 2-1 win over UW-River Falls last Wednesday was its fifth in the last six games. The Blazers are also 8-1-1 in their last 10 contests, with the lone loss a 3-0 decision against UW-Stout on Oct. 16. … Beshears and Colleen Bouchard accounted for CSB's two goals vs. UW-River Falls Wednesday. Bouchard netted the game's first goal, off an assist from Beshears, while Beshears scored the Blazers' second goal, on an assist from Bouchard. …  Beshears and Bouchard share the team lead in goals with five each, while Beshears also owns the team lead in assists (5) and points (15). Bouchard is second in both categories with four assists and 14 points. … CSB has used three different goalkeepers this season, with the trio combining for a 1.03 goals-against-average, while stopping 70 of the 86 shots they've faced. … With one win in their last three games, CSB will lock up its 15th consecutive season with 10 or more wins. … At 9-5-1, the Blazers have already secured their 23rd consecutive winning season.