ARDEN HILLS, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota men's soccer team is back in action on Saturday, traveling to Bethel for a 3:30 p.m. Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference showdown with the Royals.
 
The Matchup:
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (1-1-0 MIAC, 4-3-0 Overall) at Bethel Royals (0-1-1 MIAC, 5-2-1 Overall)
 
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Last Action:
•  Saint Mary's—September 17, 2016 * Winona, Minn.: The Cardinals got a goal by James Larson (Polson, Mont.) in the game's opening minutes, and made it stand up, as Saint Mary's blanked Saint John's 1-0 at Ochrymowycz Field | Recap
• Bethel—September 18, 2016 * Arden Hills, Minn.: A day after dropping a 2-0 conference decision to St. Thomas, the Royals scored a pair of second-half goals in handing Finlandia a 2-0 nonconference setback at Ona Orth Athletic Complex | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. Bethel—A Year Ago:
• September 26, 2015 * Winona, Minn.: Saint Mary's had so much fun playing overtime in its previous game, that the Cardinals decided to put in a little more OT against Bethel. The Cardinals weren't able to come up with a second straight overtime victory, but they did earn a key conference point, as Saint Mary's battled the visiting Royals to a 0-0, double-overtime stalemate in a conference game at Ochrymowycz Field | Recap
 
Up Next:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals are back on the road on Tuesday, traveling to St. Peter, Minn., for a 4 p.m. MIAC contest against Gustavus.
• Bethel: The Royals head to Northfield, Minn., on Tuesday for a 4 p.m. conference showdown with Carleton.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2016 Roster | 2016 Statistics | 2016 Schedule
• The Cardinals snapped a two-game losing streak with Saturday's 1-0 victory over Saint John's. … Saint Mary's win over SJU also 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 now scored one goal in each of its last four games—sandwiching 1-0 wins over Marian and Saint John's around a 2-1, overtime loss to Concordia (Wis.) and a 5-1 setback vs. Augsburg. … James Larson (Polson, Mont.) scored his second goal of the season to account for the game's only goal in Saint Mary's 1-0 win over Saint John's last Saturday. … Both of Larson's goals this season have been game winners. … Larson now shares the team lead in goals (2) with Sean Butcher (Cave Creek, Ariz.) and Garrett Grunke (Verona, Wis.). … Grunke also leads the team in points with six, while sharing the team lead in assists (2) with Jared Wolt (Farmington, Minn.). … Chris Beiersdorf (Arlington Heights, Ill.), Mike Doheny (Lake Zurich, Ill.), and Killian Pugsley (La Crosse, Wis.) have also scored goals for the Cardinals this season. … Three of Saint Mary's eight goals this season have been collegiate firsts—Grunke and Pugsley vs. Bethany Lutheran, and Doheny vs. Martin Luther. … Pugsley also added an assist against the Vikings for his first multiple-point game as a Cardinal. … Larson scored the Cardinals' first goal of the season with his first-half tally against Martin Luther on Sept. 1. … Nate Levy (Byron, Minn.) stopped a season-high eight shots in last Saturday's 1-0 win over Saint John's. It was Levy's second shutout of the season—having also stopped all three Marian shots in a 1-0 win on Sept. 10—and the fourth of 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 six games for the Cardinals in goal, leads the team with 24 saves. … The Cardinals' four wins this season have all been by shutout—beating Martin Luther 2-0 in their season opener, while adding a 3-0 victory over Bethany Lutheran on Sept. 7, a 1-0 triumph over Marian on Sept. 10, and last Saturday's 1-0 triumph vs. Saint John's … 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 and its opponents have both scored 10 goals this season. The Cardinals have outscored the opposition 6-5 in the first half, while being outscored 5-4 after halftime.
 
Scouting The Bethel Royals:
2016 Roster | 2016 Statistics | 2016 Schedule
• Saturday's game against Saint Mary's is the second of back-to-back home games for the Royals. … Five of Bethel's first eight games this season have been played on the Royals home turf, where they are 4-0-1. … Last Sunday's 2-0 win over Finlandia snapped BU's two-game winless streak (0-1-1). … After dropping a 4-1 decision to Simpson to open the season, Bethel rattled off four straight wins, before tying St. Olaf (2-2) and falling to St. Thomas (2-0) in its first two conference games. … Bethel outscored its opponents 15-0 during its season-high four-game winning streak. … Last Saturday's 2-0 loss to St. Thomas marked the only time this season the Royals have been held without at least one goal. … Josh de la Rosa enters Saturday's showdown against Saint Mary's as the team's leader in both goals (5) and points (13). … Kevin Hintz is the team's assist leader with four and is tied for second on the team in points (10) with Brendan Reich. … Bethel's 20 goals this season have come from eight different players, while 13 different players have recorded at least one point. … The Royals have five players—de la Rose (5), Reich (4), Hintz (3), Connor Miller (3), and Connor Nelson (2)—who have scored more than one goal. … Four of de la Rosa's five goals have been game-winners. … Jakob Bartels has started six of the team's eight games in goal, compiling a 1.26 goals-against-average and an .810 save percentage. … Sam Asfahl has started the Royals' other two games in goal—and has not allowed a goal, posting back-to-back shutouts against Crown (2-0) and Northland (8-0). … Bartels has made a team-high 34 saves, while Asfahl has stopped all seven shots he's faced. … Bethel has scored 13 of its 20 goals after halftime—including an OT game-winner in a 1-0 win over UW-Superior on Sept. 5. BU's opponents, meanwhile have netted eight goals total, four in the first half and four in the second.