MANKATO, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota men's soccer team steps out of conference play on Wednesday, traveling to Bethany Lutheran for a 7 p.m. showdown with the Vikings.
 
The Matchup:
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (3-5-2 Overall) at Bethany Lutheran Vikings (2-8-2 Overall)
 
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Live Stats
 
Last Action:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals dropped a heartbreaker last Saturday, surrendering the game-winning goal in the final minute, as Concordia handed Saint Mary's a 2-1 conference setback in Moorhead, Minn. | Recap
• Bethany Lutheran: The Vikings came up empty in their nonconference game against St. Olaf Monday, falling to the Oles 5-0 in Northfield, Minn. | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. Bethany Lutheran—Their Last Meeting:
• September 10, 2014 * Winona, Minn.: For the second time in as many home games, the Cardinals erupted for four goals in their nonconference game against Bethany Lutheran at Ochrymowycz Field. And for the second time in as many home games, those four goals were more than enough to give Saint Mary's the victory, as the Cardinals cruised to a 4-0 win over the Vikings | Recap
 
Up Next:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals return to Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play on Saturday, hosting Hamline in a 7 p.m. matchup at Ochrymowycz Field.
• Bethany Lutheran: The Vikings are back on their home field in Mankato, Minn., on Friday, hosting Finlandia in a 7 p.m. game.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2015 Roster | 2015 Statistics | 2015 Schedule
• Last Saturday's 2-1 loss to Concordia snapped the Cardinals' three-game unbeaten streak (1-0-2). … Saturday's loss to the Cobbers also snapped a streak of three straight overtime games for the Cardinals, who beat Simpson 3-2 in OT on Sept. 23, and followed that up with back-to-back 0-0 double-overtime ties vs. Bethel (Sept. 19) and Gustavus (Sept. 29). … The Cardinals' 3-2 win over Simpson on Sept. 23 was Saint Mary's first overtime win since beating Saint John's 1-0 on Oct. 24, 2009—snapping a string of 12 overtime games without a win (0-7-5). … The Cardinals ties vs. Bethel and Gustavus marked the first time since the 1994 season that Saint Mary's has posted back-to-back 0-0 ties. … The Cardinals snapped their season-high four-game losing streak with their 3-2 overtime win over Simpson on Sept. Sept. 23. … The Cardinals scored as many goals against the Storm (3) as they did in the four games combined during their four-game slide. … Evan Claffy (Joliet, Ill.) made 14 saves—six vs. Bethel and eight against Gustavus—in posting back-to-back shutouts. … Claffy—who has three shutouts this season and four for his collegiate career—went 231 minutes without allowing a goal, before surrendering a first-half tally against Concordia last Saturday. … Claffy—one of three different starting goalkeepers the Cardinals have used this season—owns a team-best 1.30 goals-against-average and 35 saves in seven appearances. … Chris Trussel (Wenatchee, Wash.) netted his second goal of the season against Concordia last Saturday. … Jared Wolt (Farmington, Minn.) recorded his first collegiate two-goal game against Simpson on Sept. 23, while Sean Butcher (Cave Creek, Ariz.) accounted for the Cardinals' other goal in the 3-2 win. … With his two goals vs. the Storm, Wolt moved into the team lead with four goals, one more than Jim Dreshar (Hugo, Minn.). … Wolt also leads the team with eight points, one more than Dreshar, who has recorded at least one point in four of the team's eight games. … Andrew Jaworski (Racine, Wis.) owns a team-leading three assists. … Kareem Rassas (Lake in the Hills, Ill.) recorded his first collegiate two-goal game in Saint Mary's 7-0 win over Cornell on Sept. 4. … The Cardinals' 19 goals this season have come from 11 different players. … Butcher and Trussel have each scored their first collegiate goals vs. Viterbo on Sept. 1. … The Cardinals did not allow a shot on goal in their 7-0 win over Cornell on Sept. 4. … Saint Mary's seven goals vs. Cornell on Sept. 4 were the most since the Cardinals netted a school-record 11 goals in an 11-1 victory over Presentation on Sept. 1, 2013. … Saint Mary's has outscored its opponents 18-12, including 8-4 in the first half. … The Cardinals' 5-0 and 7-0 wins over Viterbo and Cornell, respectively, to open the season marked the first time since 2012 that Saint Mary's has recorded back-to-back shutout wins. Saint Mary's blanked Buena Vista (1-0) and Hamline (1-0) on Oct. 3 and Oct. 6, 2012. … Seven of the Cardinals' last nine wins have come on their home turf. … Five of this year's 10 games have been decided by shutout—the Cardinals are 2-1-2 in those games.
 
Scouting The Bethany Lutheran Vikings:
2015 Roster | 2015 Statistics | 2015 Schedule
• Wednesday's game against Saint Mary's is the second of back-to-back contests against teams from the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. BLC fell to St. Olaf 5-0 on Monday. BLC also has a third MIAC foe on its schedule, squaring off against Gustavus on Oct. 19. … With their 5-0 loss to St. Olaf, the Vikings have now been shut out in each of their last three losses. BLC has been outscored 18-0 in those three setbacks. … The Vikings have failed to score in six of their eight losses this season. … Both of Bethany Lutheran's ties this season have come against Crown—1-1 on Sept. 12 and 2-2 on Sept. 19. … Jorge Perez has scored a team-leading six goals this season—accounting for more than half of the Vikings' 11 goals this season. … Kenny Johnson (3) and Mike Loquercio (2) have netted BLC's other five goals. … Locuercio and Brady Johnson share the team lead in assists with two each. … The Vikings have used four different goalkeepers this season, with the quartet combing for a 3.18 goals-against-average. … Matt Bitter has made a team-high 72 saves through 12 games. … Six of BLC's 11 goals have come in the first half, while the Vikings' opponents have scored 19 goals in the first half and 21 after halftime. … Bethany Lutheran owns a 1-3-1 record at home, going 1-5-1 on the road. … BLC has played three overtime games this season—going 0-1-2. Along with their two ties vs. Crown, the Vikings also dropped a 2-1 decision to North Central (Minn.) on Sept. 18. … Bethany Lutheran's three overtime games came in a three-game, seven-day span.