ARDEN HILLS, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota women's soccer team returns to conference play on Saturday, as the Cardinals head to Bethel for a 1 p.m. MIAC contest against the Royals.
 
The Matchup:
Saint Mary's Cardinals (0-6-1 MIAC | 4-8-1 Overall) at Bethel Royals (2-5-0 MIAC | 2-8-3 Overall)
 
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Last Action:
• Saint Mary's: St. Olaf scored three goals in the first 15 minutes of the second half, erasing a 2-0 first-half Saint Mary's lead in handing the Cardinals a 3-2 conference setback Tuesday at Ochrymowycz Field  | Recap
• Bethel: Savannah Swanson scored a pair of first-half goals—both off assists from Jessica Huseby—as the Royals shut out Concordia 2-0 Wednesday afternoon in Arden Hills, Minn. | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. Bethel—Their Last Meeting:
• October 19, 2013: Overtimes have not been kind to Saint Mary's this season. For the second time in the last week — for the second time in consecutive Saturdays to be exact — the Cardinals found themselves deadlocked after the game's 90 minutes of regulation play. Unfortunately, Saint Mary's OT against Bethel ended in the same fashion as last Saturday's against St. Catherine — in heartbreak. Bethel's Jessica Huseby scored the only goal of the game off a free kick in the 98th minute to lift the Royals to a 1-0 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference victory over the Cardinals at Ochrymowycz Field | Recap
 
Up Next:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals step out of conference play for the final time next Wednesday, as Saint Mary's hosts UW-La Crosse in a 7 p.m. nonconference game at Ochrymowycz Field.
• Bethel: The Royals are right back on their home turf on Tuesday, hosting Northwestern (Minn.) in a 3:30 p.m. nonconference game at Ona Orth Athletic Complex in Arden Hills, Minn.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2014 Roster | 2014 Schedule | 2014 Statistics
Tuesday's 3-2 loss to St. Olaf marked the fourth time in the last five contests that the game has been decided by one goal or less. … Kelli Harstad (Hampton, Minn.) and Emma Schaefer (Falcon Heights, Minn.) netted the Cardinals' goals against St. Olaf Tuesday, while Caroline Blackwood (Norwalk, Va.) picked up assists on both goals. … Emily Loof (Colorado Springs, Colo.)—who recorded two goals against Gustavus on Oct. 1 for her fourth multiple-goal game of the season—leads the team in goals with 11 goals and 24 points, while Blackwood is the team's assist leader with four. … Tuesday's effort was the first multiple-assist game of Blackwood's collegiate career. … Schaefer is second to Loof in both goals (6) and points (15). … Loof's 24 points are the most since Amy Sibik finished with 29 (12 goals, 5 assists) during the 2010 season. … Loof and Schaefer have now combined to score 17 of the team's 26 goals this season. … Loof notched her first collegiate hat trick against Bethany Lutheran on Sept. 23. The freshman became the second player this season to net three goals in a game—Schaefer scored three times against UW-Superior on Sept. 6. … The three-goal efforts by Loof and Schaefer are the most in a game since Amy Sibik netted four goals against Ripon on Sept. 4, 2010. They also mark the first time Saint Mary's has had two games where an individual has scored three or more goals since Sibik scored four goals against UW-Superior and three goals against Simpson during the 2009 season. … Bridgett Leverich (Oswego, Ill.), Anna Taylor (St. Paul, Minn.) and Jesse Cwik (Chicago, Ill.) have all netted their first collegiate goals to account for the Cardinals' other three goals. … The Cardinals have converted all four of their penalty kicks this season—Schaefer scored on a PK vs. Buena Vista on Oct. 7 and vs. UW-Superior on Sept. 6, and Loof added PK goals against Carleton on Sept. 20 and Concordia on Oct. 3. … Victoria Perez (Upland, Calif.) collected her first collegiate win in goal against Buena Vista Tuesday, stopping three of the four shots she faced. … Miranda Halling (Rochester, Minn.), who made a season-high 10 saves against Concordia on Oct. 3,  boasts a team-leading 47 saves this season. … Halling—who recorded her first collegiate shutout against UW-Superior on Sept. 6—enters Saturday's conference game at Bethel owning a 2.45 goals-against-average and a .701 save percentage in nine games. … Saint Mary's contest against St. Catherine on Oct. 11 snapped a streak of three consecutive overtime games for the Cardinals. Saint Mary's battled Gustavus to a 3-3, 2 OT stalemate on Oct. 1, dropped a 2-1 double-overtime decision to Concordia last on Oct. 3, and edged Buena Vista 2-1 in OT on Oct. 6. … The Cardinals' win over Buena Vista improved Saint Mary's to 2-1-1 in its four overtime games this season. … The Cardinals' tie against Gustavus on Oct. 1 was their first deadlock since October 2, 2010, when Saint Mary's tied Concordia 0-0. … Saint Mary's seven-goal outburst vs. Bethany Lutheran on Sept. 23 marked the second time this season the Cardinals have netted seven goals in a game. Saint Mary's also tallied seven goals in a 7-0 win over UW-Superior on Sept. 6. … The Cardinals' seven goals against Bethany Lutheran and UW-Superior were the most since Saint Mary's posted back-to-back 7-0 victories over Ripon and Lakeland on Sept. 4-5, 2010. … Saint Mary's has scored 14 goals in the first half, and 10 after halftime. On the flip side, the Cardinals' opponents have scored 19 of their 31 goals in the game's opening 45 minutes.
 
Scouting The Bethel Royals:
2014 Roster | 2014 Schedule | 2014 Statistics
Saturday's game against Saint Mary's is the second of three straight home games for the Royals—who own a 2-3-2 record on their home field, while going 0-5-1 away from Ona Orth Athletic Complex. … Bethel's win over Concordia on Wednesday snapped the Royals' two-game losing streak. … After opening the season 0-6-2, the Royals have gone 2-2-0 in their last four games. … Both of Bethel's wins this season have come via shutout—1-0 vs. Macalester and 2-0 vs. Concordia. … Jessica Huseby is the team's leader in all three offensive categories—goals (3), assists (3) and points (9). … Savannah Swanson shares the team lead in goals with Huseby, and is second in assists (2) and points (8). … Huseby and Swanson have combined to score six of the team's 10 goals. … Micale Jensen has started all 13 games in goal for the Royals, compiling a 1.70 goals-against-average and a .732 save percentage. … Jensen has stopped 60 of the 82 shots she's faced and owns three shutouts. … Bethel has played three overtime games this season—with all three ending in ties. … The Royals have netted six of their 10 goals in the first half, while Bethel's opponents have tallied 14 of their 22 goals in the game's final 45 minutes. … Neither the Royals, nor their opponents, have attempted a penalty kick this season.