WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota men's soccer team closes out the regular-season portion of its schedule on Saturday, as the Cardinals host Carleton in a 3:30 p.m. Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference game at Ochrymowycz Field.
 
The Matchup:
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (3-5-1 MIAC, 8-8-1 Overall) vs. Carleton Knights (4-3-2 MIAC, 8-5-3 Overall)
 
GameDay Live On The Web:
• Live Stats * Live Video | GameDay Program | Senior Salute
 
Last Action:
•  Saint Mary's—October 26, 2016 * Morris, Minn.: The Cardinals got a pair of first-half goals—both assisted by Sean Butcher (Cave Creek, Ariz.)—and never looked back in rolling to a 3-0 nonconference win over UM-Morris | Recap
• Carleton—October 25, 2016 * Northfield, Minn.: St. Thomas scored the game's only goal in the 70^th minute, as the sixth-ranked Tommies locked up the MIAC regular-season title with a 1-0 conference win over the Knights| Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. Carleton—A Year Ago:
• October 31, 2015 * Northfield, Minn.: It was Senior Day for Carleton, as the Knights entertained Saint Mary's in the teams' final Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference game of the season. And, unfortunately for Saint Mary's, it was those Knights' seniors who put together a day to remember—and one the Cardinals would like to forget. The Knights scored three goals in the game's opening 45 minutes—all by seniors—and Saint Mary's never recovered in falling to Carleton 5-1 at Bell Field | Recap
 
Up Next:
• Saint Mary's: Saturday's game against Carleton is the regular-season finale for the Cardinals. Saint Mary's must win today—and get some outside help—in order to reach the conference's post-season tournament for the first time in program history.
• Carleton: Saturday's game against Saint Mary's is the regular-season finale for the Knights. Carleton's season will continue next week, having already clinched a spot in the upcoming MIAC Playoffs.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2016 Roster | 2016 Statistics | 2016 Schedule
• Wednesday's game at UM-Morris was the final nonconference game of the season for the Cardinals, who are 5-3-0 against non-MIAC opponents this season. … With their 3-0 win over UM-Morris on Wednesday, the Cardinals improved to 8-8-1 overall—the eight wins are the most since Saint Mary's finished 8-8-2 during the 2002 season. … Saint Mary's enters Saturday's showdown with Carleton owning a 3-4-1 MIAC record. The Cardinals' three conference wins are the most since collecting four conference victories during the 2012 season. … Chris Beiersdorf (Arlington Heights, Ill.), Jared Wolt (Farmington, Minn.), and Josh Balsiger (Camas, Wash.) scored the Cardinals' three goals in Wednesday's 3-0 win over UM-Morris. … Balsiger has now scored goals in two of Saint Mary's last three games. … Seven of the Cardinals' 21 goals this season have been collegiate firsts—Balsiger and Adam Estrada (Belvidere, Ill.) vs. Crown; Robbie Sobczak (Cloquet, Minn.) and Kyle Lichttenegger (De Pere, Wis.) against Bethel; Garrett Grunke (Verona, Wis.) and Killian Pugsley (La Crosse, Wis.) vs. Bethany Lutheran; and Mike Doheny (Lake Zurich, Ill.) vs. Martin Luther. … Sean Butcher (Cave Creek, Ariz.) picked up assists on two of the Cardinals' three goals vs. UM-Morris Wednesday—it was the first two-assist game of Butcher's collegiate career. … With his two assists vs. UM-Morris, Butcher moved into the team lead in assists (4) and points (12), while also sharing the team's top spot in goals (4) with Grunke. … Grunke is second to Butcher in both assists (3) and points (11). … James Larson (Polson, Mont.) 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. … Saint Mary's did not allow a shot on goal in its 3-0 win over UM-Morris Wednesday. It was the second time this season the Cardinals have not allowed a shot on goal in a 3-0 win, also holding Bethany Lutheran without a shot on Sept. 7. … 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, who has started 13 of the Cardinals' 17 games, leads the team with a 1.32 goals-against-average and has made 68 saves. … The Cardinals' three goals against UM-Morris on Wednesday equaled their season high. Saint Mary's also scored three goals in a 3-0 win over Bethany Lutheran and a 3-1 victory against Bethel. … Six of the Cardinals' eight 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 was 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. … Saint Mary's has outscored its opponents 13-9 in the first half, but have been outscored 14-10 after halftime.
 
Scouting The Carleton Knights:
2016 Roster | 2016 Statistics | 2016 Schedule
• Despite their 1-0 loss to St. Thomas in the regular-season home finale on Tuesday, the Knights locked up a berth in the upcoming MIAC Playoffs. Carleton has now qualified for MIAC post-season play in 10 straight seasons. … With their 1-0 loss to the sixth-ranked Tommies Tuesday, the Knights' last eight games have now been decided by shutout. Carleton is 4-3-1 in those eight games—beating St. Scholastica (2-0), Concordia (3-0), Macalester (1-0), and St. Olaf (2-0); losing to Gustavus (1-0), Wartburg (5-0), and St. Thomas (1-0); and tying Hamline (0-0). … St. Thomas' goal in the 70^th minute Tuesday, snapped the Knights' streak of 387 minutes without allowing a goal in conference play. … Nine of Carleton's 16 games have been decided by one goal or less. … Carleton has played five overtime games, going 1-1-3. The Knights beat Simpson (2-1), lost to Saint John's (3-2), and tied North Central (1-1), Augsburg (0-0), and Hamline (0-0). … Riley Phelps heads into Saturday's regular-season finale against Saint Mary's leading the team in all three offensive categories—goals (8), assists (3), and points (19). … Phelps is one of three Knights with 10 or more points—Kohl Sparrman (12) and Danny Leal (11) are the other two. … Sparrman and Leal are second to Phelps in goals with five, while  Sparrman, Mikkel Sawyer, Alex Griese, and Mark Roth are all second to Phelps in assists with two each. … Phelps (3) and Sparrman (2) have accounted for five of the Knights' eight game-winning goals. … Brandon Hilliard has appeared in 15 of the Knights' 16 games in goal, compiling a 0.86 goals-against-average, while making 70 saves. … Hilliard also owns five shutouts, while fellow goalkeeper (Aidan Mullan (0.74 GAA, 6 saves) has recorded shutouts in both of his starts this season. … Carleton has outscored its opponents 24-15—including 12-5 in the first half. … Tuesday's game against St. Thomas was the Knights' final regular-season home game, while Carleton owned a 4-2-3 record.