ARDEN HILLS, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University men's soccer team returns to Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play on Saturday, traveling to Bethel for a 3 p.m. contest against the Royals.



The Matchup:
Saint Mary's Cardinals (0-2-0 MIAC | 2-5-0 Overall)
at Bethel Royals (1-1-0 MIAC | 1-6-0 Overall)

GameDay Live On The Web:
Live Stats

Last Action:
The Cardinals ran into a buzz saw Wednesday, as Luther scored three goals in the first half in handing SMU a 4-0 nonconference setback in Decorah, Iowa. .… Bethel, meanwhile, has been off since Tuesday, when the Royals suffered a 7-1 nonconference setback at the hands of the University of Dubuque in Dubuque, Iowa.

SMU vs. Bethel — Their Last Meeting:
September 24, 2011: For the seventh time in as many games, the Cardinals found themselves in a game decided by one goal or less against Bethel. Unfortunately for the Cardinals, that one-goal decision did not go in their favor, as the Royals scored the game's only goal midway through the second half to hand SMU a 1-0 MIAC setback at Ochrymowycz Field.

Up Next:
The Cardinals are right back on the road on Tuesday, traveling to St. Peter, Minn., for a 4 p.m. conference game against Gustavus. … Bethel, meanwhile, hits the road on Wednesday, heading to Jamestown, N.D., for a nonconference game against Jamestown College.

Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2012 Roster | 2012 Statistics | 2012 Schedule
Saturday's game at Bethel is the second of four straight road games for the Cardinals, who do not play at home again until Sept. 29, when they host Concordia in a 3 p.m. contest. … Both of the Cardinals' wins this season have come on their home turf. … With Wednesday's 4-0 loss at Luther, SMU has now been held off the scoreboard in four of their five losses this season. … The Cardinals' 4-3 overtime loss to St. Thomas on Sept. 12 was the first OT game of the season for the Cardinals, who played five overtime games a year ago — going 0-3-2. … The Cardinals scored more than two goals once in 17 games last season — they have scored three goals twice in six games this season. … Krystian Drozdz (Franklin Park, Minn.) scored his first two collegiate goals against St. Thomas on Sept. 12. … Drozdz's two-goal effort marked the second time this season SMU has had a multiple-goal scorer. Midhat Mujic (Rochester, Minn.) scored two goals in the Cardinals' 3-2 season-opening win over Edgewood. … The last time SMU had two or more multiple-goal scorers in a season was 2008, when Adam Lindsay, Cristian Reyes and Andy Adair all scored twice in a game. … SMU's three goals vs. Edgewood in their season-opening 3-2 win on Aug. 31 were scored by players competing in their first games in a Cardinal uniform. Mujic scored twice and Jordan Sinkfield (St. Paul, Minn.) added the other. … With their 4-3 overtime loss to St. Thomas, the Cardinals have had four of their six games this season decided by one goal. Seventeen of SMU's 24 games under head coach Pete Watkins have been decided by one goal or less. … Joey Petrich (Elk River, Minn.) and Christian Van Dam (Linovia, Mich.) each saw action in goal vs. Luther Wednesday, with both surrendering two goals, while both making two saves. … Van Dam owns a team-best 2.25 goals-against-average, followed by Petrich at 2.55 and Dontae Gillespie (Naperville, Ill.) at 3.15. … Gillespie (Naperville, Ill.) — who stopped all nine shots he faced vs. Concordia-Chicago on Sept. 8 to earn his first collegiate shutout — owns a team-best 31 saves. … Five of SMU's seven goals this season have come in the first half, while the Cardinals' opponents have scored nine goals in the first half and 11 after halftime.

Scouting The Bethel Royals:
2012 Roster | 2012 Statistics | 2012 Schedule
With Tuesday's 7-1 loss at the University of Dubuque, the Royals have scored one goal or less in all six of their losses this season — including four losses by shutout. … The seven goals allowed Tuesday were the most since Bethel surrendered seven in a 7-1 loss to Augsburg on Sept. 14, 2011. … Bethel snapped a five-game losing streak with its 2-1 win over Hamline on Sept. 15. … Martin Manocchio's goal in the 25th minute against Augsburg on Sept. 12 was the Royals' first of the season, snapping Bethel's 344-minute scoreless drought. … Bethel's four goals this year have come from four different players — Manocchio, Kolten Fischer, Matthew Pisarski and Collin Dewitt. … Brent Neihart is the team-leader with two assists, while Fischer owns a team-best three points. … Chris Scott has played every minute in goal for the Royals, stopping 38 of the 62 shots he's faced (3.90 GAA). … Three of Bethel's four goals have come in the second half, while BU opponents have netted 13 goals in the first half and 12 goals in the game's final 45 minutes. … Saturday's game against Saint Mary's is just the third home game of the season for the Royals, who play nine of their first 12 games on the road.