ARDEN HILLS, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University women's soccer team is back in action — and back on the road — on Saturday, traveling to Bethel for a 1 p.m. Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference game against the Royals.



The Matchup:
Saint Mary's Cardinals (0-2-0 MIAC | 0-7-0 Overall)
at Bethel Royals (0-1-1 MIAC | 2-4-2 Overall)

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Last Action:
The Cardinals surrendered three goals in the second half in falling to Luther 5-0 in a nonconference game Wednesday in Decorah, Iowa. … Bethel, meanwhile, battled UW-Stout to a 2-2 double-overtime tie in a nonconference game in Arden Hills, Minn., Wednesday.

SMU vs. Bethel — Their Last Meeting:
September 24, 2011: For the second time in less than a week, the Cardinals found themselves in a game decided by a 1-0 score. And, unfortunately for SMU and head coach Neil Cassidy, the Cardinals were on the wrong end of that outcome, as Bethel converted a first-half penalty kick en route to a 1-0 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference victory at Ochrymowycz Field.

Up Next:
The Cardinals return home on Wednesday, hosting Gustavus in a 7 p.m. Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference game at Ochrymowycz Field. … Bethel, meanwhile, hits the road on Wednesday, traveling to St. Paul, Minn., for a 4 p.m. conference showdown with St. Catherine.

Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2012 Roster | 2012 Statistics | 2012 Schedule
Saturday's game against Bethel is the second of back-to-back road games for the Cardinals, who play their next two games — vs. Gustavus on Wednesday and Concordia on Saturday — on their home turf. … SMU's seven shots on goal against Luther Wednesday were a season high. … Goalkeeper Miranda Halling (Rochester, Minn.) made eight saves against Luther on Wednesday and enters Saturday's game against Bethel having stopped 46 of the 69 shots she's faced. … Halling's season-high 11 saves against St. Thomas on Sept. 12 were one shy of her career-high 12-save effort against Concordia on Oct. 1, 2011. … Halling, who has played every minute of the team's first seven games in goal, owns a 3.29 goals-against-average and a .667 save percentage. … Katie Holmes (Edina, Minn.), Bethany Schmidt (Sparta, Wis.) and Rachel Tackmann (Lake City, Minn.) have accounted for the Cardinals' three goals this season — Holmes recorded SMU's first goal of the season with her second-half tally against Loras on Sept. 2, while Schmidt and Tackmann scored in 2-1 losses to the University of Dubuque and Lawrence. … All three of SMU's goals this season have been collegiate firsts. … Holmes also picked up the assist on Schmidt's goal vs. the University of Dubuque, giving her a team-leading three points … Heidi Martin (Ankeny, Iowa) notched her first collegiate assist on Holmes' goal vs. Loras. … After scoring five of their eight goals in the first half in 2011, all three of the Cardinals' goals this season have come in the second half. SMU's opponents, meanwhile, have scored 12 goals in the first half and 11 after halftime.

Scouting The Bethel Royals:
2012 Roster | 2012 Statistics | 2012 Schedule
The Royals enter Saturday's game against Saint Mary's in the midst of a four-game winless streak (0-2-2). … Bethel has scored nine goals in its two wins this season — beating Cornell 5-0 and Northwestern 4-0 — but the Royals have scored just two goals in their four losses. … Five of the Royals' eight games — including three of their four losses — have been decided by one goal or less. … Bethel has now played two overtime games, with both contests ending in ties. … Jessica Huseby and Suzette Anderson accounted for Bethel's two goals in its 2-2 tie vs. UW-Stout Wednesday. … Anderson's second-half goal vs. UW-Stout moved her into a tie with Blythe Whealy for the team lead in goals with three. … Anderson also owns the team lead in points (7), while Huseby has collected a team-best four assists. … Callie Roseland has started six of the team's seven games in goal, stopping 18 of the 23 shots she's faced for a 1.07 goals-against-average and a .783 save percentage. … Bethel has scored 11 of its 13 goals in the second half.