By DONNY NADEAU
Saint Mary's Sports Information Director
 
WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota men's soccer team returns to Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play on Monday, as the Cardinals head to Gustavus for a 4 p.m. showdown with the Gusties.
 
The Matchup:
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (2-4-0 MIAC, 5-7-1 Overall) at Gustavus Gusties (6-0-1 MIAC, 10-1-1 Overall)
 
GameDay Live On The Web:
• Live Stats
 
Last Action:
• Saint Mary's—October 13, 2018 * Winona, Minn.: Josh Balsiger (Camas, Wash.) scored his team-leading sixth goal of the season five minutes into the second half, lifting the Cardinals to a 1-0 conference win over Hamline at Ochrymowycz Field | Recap
• Gustavus—October 13, 2018 * Collegeville, Minn.: Arthur Parens scored in the game's 106^th minute, breaking a 1-1 deadlock and carrying the league-leading Gusties to a 2-1, double-overtime win over Saint John's | Recap 

Saint Mary's vs. Gustavus—Their Last Meeting:
• October 10, 2017 * Winona, Minn.: It only took two goals—and 31 games—but the Cardinals finally found a way to beat Gustavus. Saint Mary's scored single goals in each half, and goalkeeper Nate Levy (Byron, Minn.) stopped the only Gustie shot he faced, as the Cardinals put an end to a 31-game winless streak against Gustavus with a 2-0 victory at Ochrymowycz Field | Recap
 
Up Next:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals return home on Wednesday, hosting Simpson in their final nonconference game of the season — a 4 p.m. contest at Ochrymowycz Field.
• Gustavus: The Gusties are back on their home field in St. Peter, Minn., on Wednesday, entertaining Viterbo in a 4 p.m. nonconference tilt.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2018 Roster | 2018 Schedule | 2018 Statistics
• With their 1-0 win over Hamline last Saturday, the Cardinals snapped their three-game winless streak (0-2-1). … The Cardinals' 1-0 win over the Pipers Saturday marked the sixth time in the last seven contests that the game was decided by one goal or less — including four that went into overtime. … Josh Balsiger (Camas, Wis.) scored his team-leading sixth goal in the Cardinals' 1-0 win over Hamline last Saturday. … Balsiger's six goals — a single-season career-high — are three more than Charles Reit (Arcadia, Wis.), and four in front of Kyle Lichttenegger (De Pere, Wis.), Robbie Sobczak (Cloquet, Minn.), and Eli Szymanski (La Crosse, Wis.). … The Cardinals have had 10 different players score goals this season. Along with Balsiger (6), Sobczak (2), Reit (2), Lichttenegger (2), and Szymanski (2), the Cardinals' other six goals have come from Cole Van Houten (Pine Island, Minn.), R.J. Vazquez (Antioch, Ill.), Johnluke Nahorski (Minnetonka, Minn.), Chris Beiersdorf (Arlington Heights, Ill.), and Klaus Friedli (Marshfield, Wis.). … Saint Mary's boasts five players who have recorded their first collegiate goals this season. Van Houten and Vazquez scored their first collegiate goals in the Cardinals' 4-3 loss to UW-Superior on Sept. 30; Szymanski and Nahorski netted their first collegiate goals in Saint Mary's season-opening 3-1 win over North Central on Aug. 31, while Friedli tallied his first goal in a Cardinal uniform in Saint Mary's 4-1 victory over Crown on Sept. 4. … Szymanski picked up his first collegiate two-assist game against Crown on Sept. 4 … Along with his team-leading six goals, Balsiger — who has now scored in back-to-back games — also boasts a team-best 12 points, four more than Reit. … Szymanski and Reit share the team lead in assists with three. … Alberto Centeno (Elk Grove Village, Ill.) needed to make just one save in the Cardinals' 1-0 win over Hamline last Saturday en route to his first collegiate shutout. … Centeno stopped a career-high 18 shots — eight in the first half, eight in the second half, and two in the first overtime — in the Cardinals' 1-0 loss to Loras on Sept. 19. … Centeno's 18-save effort was the most in a single game since Jon Szafranski stopped 18 against Viterbo on Sept. 23, 2009. … Centeno's 18 saves against Loras were just two shy of the 20 saves he had made in his previous six games combined. … Centeno owns a 1.88 goals-against-average and a .757 save percentage in 10 starts this season. … Centeno's 53 saves this season rank third among MIAC goalkeepers. … Michael Maniak (Wisconsin Dells, Wis.) made his second start of the season on Oct. 3 against Carroll, stopping five of the Pioneers' six shots. … Jimmy Perreault (Batavia, Ill.) made his first start of the season against Saint John's on Oct. 6, finishing with four saves. … Maniak boasts a 1.38 GAA and a .733 save percentage, while Perreault boasts a 2.58 GAA and .571 save percentage. … As a team, the Cardinals have scored three or more goals in four of their five wins this season — netting three goals in wins over Martin Luther (3-1), North Central (3-0), and Bethel (3-2), while tallying a season-high four goals in beating Crown 4-1. … Saint Mary's three goals in its 4-3 loss to UW-Superior on Sept. 30 were the most in a loss since the Cardinals netted three in a 4-3 overtime loss to St. Thomas on Sept. 12, 2012. … Saint Mary's has scored nine goals in the first half and 12 goals after the break. On the flip side, the Cardinals' opponents have scored 10 first-half goals and 14 goals after halftime. … With their 3-1 win over North Central on Aug. 31, the Cardinals have now won their season-opener in each of their last four seasons. … The Cardinals have now started the season 4-0-0 and 3-1-0 in their last two seasons.
 
Scouting The Gustavus Gusties:
2018 Roster | 2018 Statistics | 2018 Schedule
• Monday's matchup against Saint Mary's is the fourth home game in the last six contests for the Gusties, who own a perfect 6-0-0 record on their home field. … With their 2-1 double-overtime win over Saint John's last Saturday, the Gusties pushed their winning streak to a season-high five straight, while extending their unbeaten streak to nine (8-0-1). … Gustavus' lone loss this season was a 3-0 setback to Luther on Sept. 7. The only other blemish on the Gusties' slate is a 1-1 tie against St. Thomas on Sept. 22. … After scoring six goals in their previous six games combined, Gustavus enters Monday's showdown with the Cardinals having scored nine goals in their last three contests — beating St. Scholastica (4-2), Bethel (3-1), and Saint John's (2-1). … GAC has scored three or more goals four times this season — including a season-high four goals in wins over Presentation (4-1), Martin Luther (4-0), and St. Scholastica (4-2). … Gustavus owns five shutout wins this season — three of which have been 1-0 decisions. … Arthur Parens scored his team-leading seventh goal in the 106^th minute against Saint John's Saturday. … Matt Gibbons is second to Parens with five goals, while the two share the team lead in points with 14 each points. … Gibbons leads the Gusties in assists with six, with Scott Heinen second with five. … Parens (7) and Gibbons (5) have accounted for 12 of the Gusties' 25 goals this season. … Gibbons has netted three game-winning goals, with Parens (2), Heinen, Trace Dobson, Will Richards, Luke Laurich, and Leon Equinet accounting for the other six. … Anders Severson has started nine of the team's 12 games in goal, compiling a 0.63 goals-against-average and an .882 save percentage. … Severson has stopped 45 of the 51 shots he's faced, and owns four shutouts. … Matt Bateman has made three starts in goal, allowing four goals (1.33 GAA) and stopping six of the 10 shots he's faced (.600). … Gustavus has outscored its opponents 25-10 — including 16-4 after halftime. … GAC has played three overtime games this season — beating Wartburg (2-1) and Saint John's (2-1), and tying St. Thomas (1-1).