WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota men's soccer team returns to Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play on Saturday, as the Cardinals host St. Thomas in a 6 p.m. matchup at Ochrymowycz Field.
 
The Matchup:
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (3-4-1 MIAC, 7-7-1 Overall) vs. St. Thomas Tommies (5-0-2 MIAC, 12-0-3 Overall)
 
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Last Action:
•  Saint Mary's—October 20, 2016 * St. Bonifacius, Minn.: The Cardinals got first-half goals from Josh Balsiger (Camas, Wash.) and Adam Estrada three minutes apart, as Saint Mary's dealt Crown a 2-1 nonconference setback | Recap
• St. Thomas—October 19, 2016 * Decorah, Iowa: The Tommies scored single goals in each half en route to a 2-1 nonconference win over 24^th-ranked Luther at the Luther Soccer Field | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. St. Thomas—A Year Ago:
• October 24, 2015 * St. Paul, Minn.: After erupting for three goals in a 3-0 nonconference win over Martin Luther—their highest offensive output in their last eight games—the Cardinals were limited to just one goal in their conference showdown with St. Thomas. And that goal came just four minutes into the opening half. Fortunately, the Cardinals' defense limited the high-powered Tommies to just a single second half goal, as the two teams battled to a 1-1 overtime tie | Recap
 
Up Next:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals step out of conference play for the final time on Tuesday, heading to Morris, Minn., for a 6 p.m. nonconference matchup against UM-Morris.
• St. Thomas: The Tommies are back on the road on Tuesday, traveling to Northfield, Minn., for a 3:30 p.m. conference showdown with Carleton.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2016 Roster | 2016 Statistics | 2016 Schedule
• Thursday's game against Crown was the second of back-to-back nonconference games for the Cardinals, who improved to 4-3-0 against non-MIAC opponents with Thursday's win over the Storm. … The Cardinals' 2-1 victory over Crown Thursday was their seventh win of the season—the most victories since Saint Mary's went 7-10-1 during the 2012 season. … Saint Mary's 2-0 victory over Concordia on Oct. 1 was their third MIAC win, the most by a Cardinal team since collecting four conference victories during the 2012 season. … Saint Mary's 2-1 win over Crown snapped their three-game losing streak. … Josh Balsiger (Camas, Wash.) and Adam Estrada (Belvidere, Ill.) scored the Cardinals' two goals vs. Crown Thursday—it was the first collegiate goals for both. … Seven of the Cardinals' 18 goals this season have been collegiate firsts—Balsiger and Estrada vs. Crown; Robbie Sobczak (Cloquet, Minn.) and Lichttenegger against Bethel; Grunke and Killian Pugsley (La Crosse, Wis.) vs. Bethany Lutheran; and Mike Doheny (Lake Zurich, Ill.) vs. Martin Luther. … Sean Butcher (Cave Creek, Ariz.)—who assisted on Estrada's goal on Thursday—shares the team lead in goals (4) with Garrett Grunke (Verona, Wis.). … Along with his team-leading four goals, Grunke also shares the team lead in points (10) with Butcher. … Grunke, Butcher, Balsiger, Jared Wolt (Farmington, Minn.), and James Larson (Polson, Mont.) all share the team lead in assists with two each. … Larson has scored two goals this season—and both have been game-winners. … Larson scored the Cardinals' first goal of the season with his first-half tally against Martin Luther on Sept. 1. … Butcher owns the team's lone penalty kick goal, converting against Hamline on Oct. 8. Saint Mary's is now 1-for-2 in PKs this year. … Alberto Centeno (Elk Grove Village, Ill.) made his second straight start against Crown Thursday, making four saves. … Centeno made a career-high seven saves in the Cardinals' 3-0 loss to Simpson last Monday. … Nate Levy (Byron, Minn.) equaled his career high with 10 saves against Hamline on Oct. 8. The junior goalkeeper also stopped 10 shots against Carleton on Oct. 31, 2015. … Levy's 10-save effort against Hamline marked the third time this season 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 Centeno 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 12 of the Cardinals' 15 games, leads the team with a 1.31 goals-against-average and has made 63 saves. … Saint Mary's 3-0 setback vs. Simpson last Monday marked just the third time this season the Cardinals have failed to score at least one goal. Saint Mary's also dropped 1-0 decisions at St. Olaf on Oct. 15 and at Gustavus on Sept. 27. … 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' seven wins this season have been by shutout—the exceptions, a 2-1 win over Crown last Thursday, and a 3-1 win over Bethel on Sept. 24. … The Cardinals' 1-1 deadlock against Hamline on Oct. 8 their first tie of the season—Saint Mary's was the last team in the MIAC to record a tie this season. … The Cardinals have played five overtime games this season—including three decided by 1-0 decisions. Saint Mary's is 1-3-1 in those five OT contests. … 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. … 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. … 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 11-7 in the first half, but have been outscored 14-9 after halftime.
 
Scouting The St. Thomas Tommies:
2016 Roster | 2016 Statistics | 2016 Schedule
• With their win over 24^th-ranked Luther Wednesday, the Tommies—ranked sixth in the latest NSCAA Top 25—pushed their season-opening unbeaten streak to 15 (12-0-3). … Luther's goal in the 86^th minute Wednesday was the first allowed by the Tommies since a 1-1 tie against Saint John's on Oct. 14—a span of eight straight games without allowing a goal. … St. Thomas has allowed just five goals this season, outscoring its opponents 26-5. … The Tommies have recorded 11 shutouts this season are tied for the most among all 820 NCAA men's soccer teams. … Mark Heydt is the team's offensive leader, boasting team-highs in all three offensive categories—goals (5), assists (6), and points (16). … Tyler Oliver is second to Heydt in goals with four and points with nine, while Alex Schobrich is second on the team in assists with four. … The Tommies' 24 goals have come from 10 different players, while 13 Tommies have recorded at least one point this season. … Heydt and Johnny Mulvahill share the top spot with two game-winning goals each. … UST has converted 3 of 4 penalty kicks—all by Heydt. … Goalkeeper Aidan Hogan ranks first at all levels of men's NCAA soccer in goals-against-average (0.13)—having allowed just one goal in eight appearances this season. … Hogan also ranks second in save percentage among all NCAA goalkeepers at .923. … Grant Larson has split time with Hogan between the pipes for the Tommies, boasting a 0.37 GAA and .885 save percentage in eight appearances. … St. Thomas has allowed just one first-half goal this season—holding a 15-1 scoring advantage through the game's opening 45 minutes. UST has outscored its opponents 11-4 after halftime. … The Tommies have played five overtime games this season—beating UW-Superior (1-0) and Northwestern (3-2), while tying Colorado College (0-0), Saint John's (1-1), and St. Olaf (0-0). … St. Thomas owns a 7-0-2 record at home, while going 5-0-1 on the road this season.