ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University men's soccer team opens Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play on Wednesday, traveling to St. Thomas for a 4 p.m. contest against the Tommies



The Matchup:
Saint Mary's Cardinals (0-0-0 MIAC | 1-2-1 Overall)
at St. Thomas Tommies (0-0-0 MIAC | 1-1-0 Overall)

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Last Action:
The Cardinals got a first-half goal from Jacob Bina (West Salem, Wis.) and a five-save effort from goalkeeper Chris Williams (Chicago, Ill.), as SMU beat Grinnell 1-0 Saturday afternoon in Winona, Minn., for its first win of the season. … St. Thomas, meanwhile, has been off since Sept. 5, when the Tommies scored single goals in each half in beating Northwestern (Minn.) 2-1 in St. Paul, Minn.

SMU vs. St. Thomas — Their Last Meeting:
Oct. 30, 2010: Gunnar Knutson's (Minneapolis, Minn.) first-half tally — SMU's first goal since a Patrick Moore (Woodbury, Minn.) tally on Oct. 6 — was not enough, as St. Thomas scored three times in the game's opening 45 minutes in handing Saint Mary's a 3-1 MIAC setback at Ochrymowycz Field.

Up Next:
The Cardinals return home on Saturday, as SMU hosts St. Olaf in a 1 p.m. conference contest at Ochrymowycz Field. … St. Thomas, meanwhile, is off until Tuesday, when the Tommie step out of conference play to host Viterbo in a 4 p.m. nonconference tilt in St. Paul, Minn.

Saint Mary's Cardinals News and Notes:
2011 Roster | 2011 Overall Statistics | 2011 Schedule
SMU's 1-0 victory over Grinnell was not only its first win of the season, but also the first win for Pete Watkins as the Cardinals' head coach. … After going the first 16 games of his collegiate career without recording a shutout, SMU goalkeeper Chris Williams (Chicago, Ill.) has recorded back-to-back shutouts in his last two starts. Williams made three saves in SMU's 0-0 double-overtime tie against North Central (Minn.) on Sept. 6, then stopped all five Grinnell shots in last Saturday's 1-0 victory over the Pioneers. … Saturday's win vs. Grinnell was also Williams' first collegiate win. … SMU's 1-0 win over Grinnell was its first victory by shutout since the Cardinals blanked Lakeland 1-0 on Sept. 5, 2010. … The Cardinals' 0-0, double-overtime tie against North Central (Minn.) last Tuesday, meanwhile, was their first scoreless draw since tying St. Thomas 0-0 on Oct. 16, 2004. … SMU has already played more overtime games this year (2) than it did all of last year (1). … Jacob Bina (West Salem, Wis.) scored his second collegiate goal — and first since his freshman season in 2009 — against Grinnell Saturday. … SMU's four goals this season have now come from four different players — Bina, Matt Graber (Denver, Colo.), Juamaine Venter (Rochester, Minn.) and Mac Stringer (Mendota Heights, Minn.). … Stringer's goal vs. Rockford on Sept. 3 was the first of his collegiate career. … Mark Thompson (Madison, Wis.) assisted on Bina's goal vs. Grinnell and leads the team with two assists. … Williams enters Wednesday's conference opener at St. Thomas boasting a 1.13 goals-against-average. The senior has stopped 18 of the 23 shots he's face for a .783 save percentage. … SMU has allowed just one second-half goal this season — that coming with 20 seconds remaining in the second overtime of the Cardinals' season-opening 2-1 loss at Lake Forest. … The Cardinals, meanwhile, have scored three of their four goals in the first half. … After dropping nine one-goal decisions a year ago, all four of SMU's games thus far this season have been decided by a goal or less — a 2-1 season-opening loss to Lake Forest, a 3-2 setback to Rockford, last Tuesday's 0-0 tie vs. North Central (Minn.) and Saturday's 1-0 win over Grinnell. … Despite their double-OT loss to Lake Forest on Sept. 1, the Cardinals are 4-2-5 in their last 11 overtime games.

St. Thomas Tommies News and Notes:
2011 Roster | 2011 Overall Statistics | 2011 Schedule
The Tommies enter Wednesday's MIAC opener having not played in nine days. UST opened the season with a 2-0 home loss to Clarke (Iowa) and a 2-1 win over Northwestern. … Mike Hutton scored two goals in the win at Northwestern and now has 29 goals in 51 career games. The Tommies are 21-3-1 in games when he's scored a point. In addition to being a three-time All-MIAC soccer performer, Hutton is also UST's school-record holder at 800 meters and a two-time All-American in track and field. … Hutton is one of UST's three returning first-team All-MIAC honorees. He joins fellow senior Angel Riera, and sophomore Nick Rapisarda. Riera was a repeat All-MIAC honoree after scoring four goals for the second year in a row. He has 21 career points. Rapisarda was one of only three freshmen among the 38 players honored. He scored a team-best six goals in a 14-point 2010 season. … The Tommies are looking to rebound from a strange 7-8-3 finish in 2010. UST dropped six one-goal decisions, including three games lost in overtime, and had a streak of consecutive MIAC playoff trips end at three.