WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota men's soccer team is back on its home turf at Ochrymowycz Field on Wednesday, as the Cardinals entertain Macalester in a 7 p.m. Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference contest.
 
The Matchup:
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (3-2-1 MIAC, 6-4-1 Overall) vs. Macalester Scots (3-1-1 MIAC, 9-2-2 Overall)
 
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Last Action:
•  Saint Mary's—October 8, 2016 * St. Paul, Minn.: Sean Butcher (Cave Creek, Ariz.) scored on a penalty kick late in the second half, as the Cardinals rallied to earn a 1-1, double-overtime tie against Hamline at Patterson Field | Recap
• Macalester—October 10, 2016 * St. Paul, Minn.: The Scots scored a pair of first-half goals and held off a late Northwestern charge in handing the Eagles a 2-1 nonconference setback at Macalester Stadium | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. Macalester—A Year Ago:
• October 14, 2015 * St. Paul, Minn.: Saint Mary's entered its MIAC showdown against Macalester looking to break out of a mid-season offensive funk, having scored just two goals in its last five games. Unfortunately for coach Pete Watkins, the mid-season offensive hibernation continued against the unbeaten Scots, as Macalester held Saint Mary's off the scoreboard in dealing the Cardinals a 3-0 conference setback | Recap
 
Up Next:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals take to the road on Saturday, traveling to Northfield, Minn., for a 1 p.m. MIAC game against St. Olaf.
• Macalester: The Scots return to their home turf in St. Paul, Minn., on Saturday, playing host to Carleton in a 7 p.m. conference matchup
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2016 Roster | 2016 Statistics | 2016 Schedule
• Last Saturday's 1-1 deadlock against Hamline was the Cardinals' first tie of the season—Saint Mary's was the last team in the MIAC to record a tie this season. … With last Saturday's tie against Hamline, the Cardinals are now 3-1-1 in their last five games—the lone loss a 1-0, double-overtime loss to Gustavus on Sept. 27. … The Cardinals' 2-0 victory over Concordia on Oct. 1 was their sixth win of the season—equaling their win total of a year ago. … The Cardinals' victory over the Cobbers was also Saint Mary's third MIAC win, the most by a Cardinal team since collecting four conference victories during the 2012 season—and there are still five MIAC contests yet to be played. … With three wins and 10 points, the Cardinals head into Wednesday's showdown against nationally ranked Macalester tied with the Scots and Gustavus for second place in the conference standings, six points behind league-leading St. Thomas. … Wednesday's game against Macalester is just the fourth home game for the Cardinals, who are a perfect 3-0-0 at Ochrymowycz Field this season. … The Cardinals' 1-0 loss to Gustavus on Sept. 27 snapped their two-game winning streak. It was the second time this season Saint Mary's had put together back-to-back victories—and the second time the streak was snapped with an overtime loss. … Saint Mary's game against Hamline last Saturday was the fourth overtime game of the season for the Cardinals, who are 1-2-1 in games decided in overtime or double overtime. … Saint Mary's 1-0 setback at Gustavus on Sept. 27 marked the first time this season the Cardinals have failed to score at least one goal. … Sean Butcher (Cave Creek, Ariz.) scored his third goal of the season in last Saturday's 1-1 tie against Hamline. … Butcher's goal was the Cardinals' first converted penalty kick of the season. Saint Mary's is now 1-for-2 in PKs this year. … Garrett Grunke (Verona, Wis.)—who did not score a goal in his first two seasons with the Cardinals—has scored three times in the Cardinals' last six games, and leads the team with four goals. … Grunke has now had at least one point in four of the Cardinals' last six games—scoring three times and adding an assist. … The Cardinals equaled their season high with three goals in a 3-1 win vs. Bethel on Sept. 24. Saint Mary's also scored three goals in a 3-0 win over Bethany Lutheran on Sept. 7. … Five of the Cardinals' 14 goals this season have been collegiate firsts—Robbie Sobczak (Cloquet, Minn.) and Kyle Lichttenegger (De Pere, Wis.) against Bethel; Grunke and Killian Pugsley (La Crosse, Wis.) vs. Bethany Lutheran; and Mike Doheny (Lake Zurich, Ill.) vs. Martin Luther. … Along with his team-leading four goals, Grunke also leads the team in points with 10, and shares the team's top spot in assists (2) with Jared Wolt (Farmington, Minn.) and James Larson (Polson, Mont.). … Butcher is second to Grunke with three goals, while Larson and Sobczak own two goals each. … Both of Larson's goals this season have been game-winners. … Larson scored the Cardinals' first goal of the season with his first-half tally against Martin Luther on Sept. 1. … Nate Levy (Byron, Minn.) equaled his career high with 10 saves against Hamline last Saturday. The junior goalkeeper also stopped 10 shots against Carleton on Oct. 31, 2015. … Levy's 10-save effort against Hamline last Saturday marked the third time in his last five starts that he has stopped at least eight shots in a game. …  Levy made four saves against Concordia on Oct. 1 en route to his third shutout of the season. … Levy's other two shutouts this season were an eight-save effort in the Cardinals' 1-0 win over Saint John's on Sept. 17, and a three-save showing vs. Marian in a 1-0 win on Sept. 10. … Levy has now posted four shutouts in his collegiate career. …  Levy and Alberto Centeno (Elk Grove Village, Ill.) combined on a four-save shutout against Martin Luther on Sept. 1. Centeno stopped both shots he faced in the first half, while Levy made two saves in the second half. … Levy and Adam Johannsen (Faribault, Minn.) did not have to make a save in posting the shutout against Bethany Lutheran on Sept. 7. … Levy, who has started the last 10 games for the Cardinals, leads the team with a 1.19 goals-against-average and has made 51 saves. … Five of the Cardinals' six wins this season have been by shutout—the lone exception, a 3-1 win over Bethel on Sept. 24. … Saint Mary's 1-0 win over Saint John's on Sept 17 put an end to a six-game losing streak against the Johnnies, dating back to a 1-0, double-overtime win during the 2009 season. … Saint Mary's 1-0 OT win over Marian on Sept. 10 was the Cardinals' first overtime win since beating Saint John's 1-0 on Oct. 24, 2009—snapping an 0-8-8 winless streak. … The Cardinals did not allow a shot on goal in their win over Bethany Lutheran on Sept. 7. … Saint Mary's has outscored its opponents 16-13 this season, including 8-5 in the first half.
 
Scouting The Macalester Scots:
2016 Roster | 2016 Statistics | 2016 Schedule
• The Scots head into Wednesday's showdown against Saint Mary's ranked No. 24 in the latest NSCAA national poll. … After opening the season unbeaten in their first 10 games (8-0-2), the Scots dropped back-to-back 1-0 decisions to Luther and St. Thomas. Macalester rebounded with a 2-1 victory over Northwestern on Monday. … Macalester's last four games have all been decided by one goal or less. … Danny Baumann scored his team-leading fourth goal of the season against Northwestern Monday. … Jake Burke, Charlie Spurr, and Elliot Cassutt are all second to Baumann with three goals each, while Zach Moore, Ionathan Kuperwajs and Clayton Smith have all netted two goals. … Burke leads the team in assists with four and points with 10. … Burke and Cassutt have each netted a team-high two game-winning goals. … Spurr has accounted for the Scots' lone penalty kick goal. … Zeke Vainer has started all 13 games in goal for the Scots, compiling a 0.38 goals-against-average, while stopped 23 of the 28 shots he's faced. … Vainer also owns seven shutouts. … The Scots have played four overtime games this season, going 2-0-2. Macalester beat Superior and Gustavus—both by 1-0 decisions—while tying St. Olaf and UW-Whitewater by identical 1-1 scores. … Both of Macalester's losses this season have come against nationally ranked teams—tying No. 19 UW-Whitewater (1-1) and falling to No. 17 Luther (1-0). … Macalester has allowed just one first-half goal this season. The Scots have outscored their opponents 7-1 in the game's opening 45 minutes, while holding a 14-5 advantage after halftime. … The Scots play three of their next four games on the road. Macalester is 3-1-2 away from Macalester Stadium this season.