WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota women's soccer team kicks off its 2016 season on the road on Thursday, hosting Luther in a 7 p.m. nonconference game at Ochrymowycz Field.
 
The Matchup:
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (2015: 6-12-0 Overall) at Luther Norse (2015: 13-5-1 Overall)
 
GameDay Live On The Web:
• Live Stats * Live Video | Video Preview | GameDay Program
 
Last Action:
•  Thursday's nonconference game is the season-opener for both the Cardinals and the Norse.
 
Saint Mary's vs. Luther—Their Last Meeting:
• September 9, 2015 * Winona, Minn.: The early part of the season has been a rollercoaster ride for the Cardinals. After rebounding from a 2-0 season-opening loss to UW-River Falls with four goals in a 4-0 victory against UW-Superior, Saint Mary's offense returned to early season hibernation, as the Cardinals came up empty in a 3-0 nonconference setback at the hands of Luther at Ochrymowycz Field | Recap
 
Up Next:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals are back on the road on Monday, traveling to New Ulm, Minn., for a 1 p.m. nonconference game against Martin Luther.
• Luther: The Norse kick off the home portion of their schedule on Tuesday, hosting St. Olaf in a 5 p.m. nonconference game against St. Olaf.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2016 Roster | 2016 Statistics | 2016 Schedule
• The Cardinals are coming off a 6-12-0 season in 2015. … The Cardinals' six wins last season were the most since Saint Mary's went 7-9-0 during the 2010 campaign. … Nine of the Cardinals' last 11 wins—including all six victories a year ago—have come on their home turf. … The Cardinals' five goals against Martin Luther on Oct. 21 were a season high—one more than the four they netted in a 4-0 win over UW-Superior on Sept. 5. … Saint Mary's three goals vs. St. Olaf on Oct. 17 were the most in an MIAC game since Saint Mary's netted three in a 3-1 win over St. Catherine on Oct. 15, 2011. … Emma Schaefer (Roseville, Minn.) closed out the season as the team leader in goals with six and in points with 13. … Schaefer boasted a pair of two-goal games last season—scoring twice vs. Martin Luther on Oct. 21 and twice vs. UW-Superior on Sept. 5. … Schaefer has now scored five goals against UW-Superior over the last two seasons—she recorded her first collegiate hat trick vs. the Yellowjackets a year ago. … Caroline Blackwood (Norwalk, Ohio) closed out her senior season with a team- and career-high six assists. … Blackwood accounted for six of the team's 14 assists. … Maddy Wallraff (Blaine, Minn.) finished second to Schaefer in both goals (4) and points (8). … Emily Loof (Colorado Springs, Colo.) had an assist on both Saint Mary's goals in its 2-1 win vs. Carroll on Sept. 12. It was Loof's fourth career multiple-point game—and her first collegiate two-assist game. … Saint Mary's boasted five players who scored their first collegiate goals last season—Wallraff, Molly Homeyer (Arlington, Texas), Becca Dup (Albert Lea, Minn.), Anna Taylor (St. Paul, Minn.), and Janis Martinez (Las Vegas, Nev.). … Aubrie Cornell (Columbia, Mo.) started all 18 games in goal for the Cardinals last season. … Cornell had her string of 1,295 consecutive minutes played snapped when Sarah Sieracki (Schererville, Ind.) came in to relieve her 29 minutes into the Cardinals' game against Martin Luther on Oct. 21. … Cornell finished with a season-high 12 saves against Macalester on Oct. 13—including nine in the second half. … Cornell's 12-save effort—one shy of her career high—marked the third time she stopped 10 or more shots in a game last season. Cornell made 11 saves against Gustavus on Sept. 30, while stopping 10 shots against Concordia on Oct. 3. … Cornell collected 118 saves in 18 games. … Cornell made seven saves vs. Bethel on Sept. 26 en route to her second collegiate shutout. The junior goalkeeper stopped all four shots she faced against UW-Superior on Sept. 5 for her first career shutout. … The Cardinals scored 13 of their 20 goals last season in the first half, while Saint Mary's opponents netted 18 goals in the first half and 15 after halftime. … The Cardinals' 1-0 loss to Gustavus on Sept. 30 was their only overtime game of the season. … Ten of the Cardinals' 18 games last season were decided by shutout. … With their 5-2 victory over Martin Luther on Oct. 21, the Cardinals closed out the nonconference portion of their schedule with a 3-4-0 record a year ago. … Saint Mary's 2-0 loss to UW-River Falls on Sept. 1 marked the second straight season the Cardinals and Falcons opened the season with the winner scoring two goals—Saint Mary's beat UWRF 2-1 in the 2014 season-opener.  
 
 Scouting The Luther Norse:
2016 Roster | 2015 Final Statistics | 2016 Schedule
• Luther is coming off a 13-5-1 season a year ago—including a 1-1 showing in the IIAC post-season tournament. Luther opened post-season play with a 2-1 win over Central-Iowa, before falling to Wartburg 2-0. … The Norse head into 2016 returning three NSCAA All-North Region selections— Melisse Chassé, Ellie Bunz, and Erin Danielson. … Chassé led the Norse in scoring for the second year in a row, tallying nine goals and six assists for 24 points. … Six of Chassé' s team-high nine goals were game-winners. … Chassé enters her final season in a Norse uniform having scored 21 career goals and adding 29 assists for 71 points in 56 games. … Bunz finished second to Chassé in scoring with 20 points. She scored six goals and was credited with a team-best eight assists. … Danielson, who was named the Iowa Conference Defensive MVP, started every match in goal—after making the transition from the Norse cross country team to the soccer field last season. She played 1,466 minutes and anchored a defensive unit that posted seven shutouts and allowed just 16 goals, en route to a goals-against-average of 0.83. … Luther outscored its opponents 37-16 a year ago—including 24-7 in the first half, and 13-9 after the break. … The Norse played two overtime games last season—beating the University of Dubuque, 3-2, while tying Central-Iowa, 3-3. … After splitting their first two games a year ago, Luther put together a season-best 11-game winning streak. … Nine of Luther's 13 wins last season came at home—the Norse were 9-1-1 on their home field, while going 4-4-0 on the road.