By DONNY NADEAU
Saint Mary's Sports Information Director
 
WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota women's soccer team returns to Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play on Saturday, as the Cardinals play host to Saint Benedict in a 1 p.m. matchup at Ochrymowycz Field.
 
The Matchup:
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (0-5-0 MIAC, 5-6-0 Overall) vs. Saint Benedict Blazers (2-2-1 MIAC, 3-5-1 Overall)
 
GameDay Live On The Web:
• Live Stats * Live Video | GameDay Program
 
Last Action:
• Saint Mary's—October 3, 2018 * Winona, Minn.: The Cardinals surrendered three first-half goals and had their late rally fall short, as Saint Mary's dropped a 3-1 decision to 15^th-ranked St. Thomas at Ochrymowycz Field | Recap
• Saint Benedict—September 29, 2018 * St. Joseph, Minn.: The Bennies scored the game-tying goal early in the second half, as Saint Benedict battled then-league-leading Bethel to a 2-2, double-overtime tie at CSB Soccer Field | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. Saint Benedict—A Year Ago:
• October 6, 2017 * St. Joseph, Minn.: Emily Loof (Colorado Springs, Colo.) continued her memorable senior year for Saint Mary's, as the Cardinal senior netted her team-leading seventh goal — a second-half tally against Saint Benedict. Unfortunately for the Cardinals, Loof's goal would be the only one — and CSB had its offense running on all cylinders, scoring twice in each half — as the Bennies dealt Saint Mary's a 4-1 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference setback at CSB Soccer Field | Recap
 
Up Next:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals are back in Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference action on Tuesday, heading to St. Peter, Minn., for a 4 p.m. matchup against Gustavus.
• Saint Benedict: The Bennies return home to St. Joseph, Minn., on Tuesday, hosting St. Catherine in a 4 p.m. MIAC contest at the CSB Soccer Field.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2018 Roster | 2018 Schedule | 2018 Statistics
• Saturday's game against Saint Benedict is the third straight home game — and the fifth home contest in the last six games for the Cardinals. … Last Saturday's 3-2 double-overtime loss to St. Catherine marked the first time this season the Cardinals did not win when scoring two or more goals. … The Cardinals have allowed one goal or less in all five of their victories this season — and in each of their 10 wins over the past two seasons. … Kassie Arriaga (Chula Vista, Calif.) scored her fifth goal of the season in the 80^th minute to account for Saint Mary's tally in Wednesday's 3-1 loss to No. 15 St. Thomas. … Maura Michener (Winona, Minn.) — who recorded one goal in her first two seasons as a Cardinal — heads into Saturday's showdown against Saint Benedict leading the team with six goals and 12 points. … Arriaga and Mary Loy (Burien, Wash.) are second to Michener in both goals (5) and points (12), while Arriaga and Loy share the team lead in assists (2) with Becca Dup. … Arriaga owns the Cardinals' two penalty kick goals. … Loy posted her first collegiate two-goal game against Lawrence on Sept. 2. … Dup picked up a goal and an assist against Coe on Sept. 9 for her first multiple-point game this season. … With her second-half tally against UW-River Falls on Sept. 19, Loy now owns three of the Cardinals' five game-winning goals this season, with Michener and Dup accounting for the other two. … Nete Storm Pedersen (Copenhagen, Denmark) scored the Cardinals' goal in their 3-1 loss to Bethel on Sept. 26. It was Storm Pedersen's first collegiate tally. … Storm Pedersen is the fourth Cardinal to net career goal No. 1 this season. Arriaga and Melina Rodriguez (Des Moines, Iowa) netted their first collegiate goals vs. Martin Luther on Aug. 31, while Megan Kowalis (Castle Rock, Colo.) scored her first two collegiate goals against Lawrence two days later. … Gabriella Pederson (Chaska, Minn.), who has started all 11 games in goal for the Cardinals, equaled her single-season career high with 11 saves against St. Catherine last Saturday. … Pederson needed to make just one save combined in recording back-to-back shutouts against Martin Luther and Lawrence to open the season. … With her two shutouts this season, Pederson owns six career shutouts—two in each of the last three seasons. … Pederson heads into Saturday's showdown against Saint Benedict owning a 2.16 goals-against-average and a .688 save percentage. … Pederson has stopped 53 of the 77 shots she's faced this season. … The Cardinals hold a 152-150 advantage in shots attempted through 11 games — including an 80-77 edge in shots on goal. … Saint Mary's did not allow a single shot attempt in its 7-0 win over Lawrence on Sept. 2. … The Cardinals' seven goals against Lawrence were not only a season high, but also the most since scoring 10 in a 10-0 rout of Finlandia on Sept. 9, 2017. … Saint Mary's has scored 17 of its 23 goals in the second half — including six of seven against Lawrence on Sept. 2. … With their win over Coe on Sept. 9, Saint Mary's improved to 4-1-0—equaling its five-game start of a year ago. … The Cardinals' 2-0 loss to No. 22 Loras on Sept. 8 snapped their season-opening three-game winning streak. … The Cardinals' 4-0 win over Martin Luther on Aug. 31 marked the second straight year in which Saint Mary's opened the year with a victory—and the second straight year in which SMU kicked off the year with a 4-0 triumph. Saint Mary's beat Lawrence to open the 2017 campaign.
 
Scouting The Saint Benedict Bennies:
2018 Roster | 2018 Statistics | 2018 Schedule
• With their 2-2 tie against Bethel last Saturday, the Bennies — who snapped a three-game losing streak with a 2-1 win over Augsburg on Sept. 26 — are now 1-0-1 in their last two. … Six of CSB's nine games this season have been decided by one goal or less — including three of its last four. … Saint Benedict's 2-2 tie against Bethel on Sept. 26 was the Bennies' third overtime game of the season. CSB beat Wartburg (3-2), fell to No. 15 St. Thomas (2-1), and tied Bethel (2-2). … Megan Thompson, Sydney Sherek, Mara Flaherty, and Clara Noack all head into Saturday's matchup against Saint Mary's sharing the team lead in goals with two each. Roxy Veldman, Brianna Griffin, and Laurel Poole have accounted for CSB's other three goals this season. … Thompson is also the team-leader in assists (3) and points (7). … Saint Benedict's three game-winning goals have come from three different players — Sherek, Noack, and Flaherty. … Kendall Koenen has started eight of the team's nine games in goal, compiling a 1.88 goals-against-average and a .785 save percentage. … Koenen has stopped 51 of the 65 shots she's faced this season. … Saint Benedict has scored two goals or more in all three of its wins — including season-high three-goal efforts in topping Wartburg (3-2) and Concordia (3-0) in a four-day span in early September. …