By DONNY NADEAU
Saint Mary's Sports Information Director
 
ST. PETER, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota women's soccer team returns to Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play on Tuesday, as the Cardinals head to Gustavus' Gustie Soccer Field for a 4 p.m. showdown with the Gusties.
 
The Matchup:
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (0-6-0 MIAC, 5-7-0 Overall) at Gustavus Gusties (1-4-1 MIAC, 4-7-1 Overall)
 
GameDay Live On The Web:
• Live Stats * Live Video
 
Last Action:
• Saint Mary's—October 6, 2018 * Winona, Minn.: Saint Benedict scored three unanswered goals — two in a 13-minute span early in the second half — as the Bennies dealt the Cardinals a 3-1 conference loss at Ochrymowycz Field | Recap
• Gustavus—October 6, 2018 * Arden Hills, Minn.: Bethel broke a 3-3 tie with a goal with less than five minutes remaining in regulation, as the Royals dealt the Gusties a 4-3 conference setback at Ona Orth Athletic Complex | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. Gustavus—A Year Ago:
• October 10, 2017 * Winona, Minn.: The Cardinals and Gusties both relied on their smothering defense—and stellar play from their goalkeepers—in battling to a 0-0, double-overtime tie at Ochrymowycz Field | Recap
 
Up Next:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals are back in Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference action on Saturday, returning home to Ochrymowycz Field for a 1 p.m. matchup against Hamline.
• Gustavus: The Gusties hit the road on Saturday, heading to St. Joseph, Minn., for a 1 p.m. conference showdown against Saint Benedict.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2018 Roster | 2018 Schedule | 2018 Statistics
• Last Saturday's game against Saint Benedict was the third straight home game, for the Cardinals, who also play two of their three contests on their home turf — the lone exception, Tuesday's matchup at Gustavus. … Saint Mary's 3-2 double-overtime loss to St. Catherine on Sept. 29 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. On the flip side, Saint Mary's has surrendered three goals or more in six of its seven losses — including three goals in each of its last four games. … Maura Michener (Winona, Minn.) scored her team-leading seventh goal of the season in the Cardinals' 3-1 loss to Saint Benedict last Saturday. … Michener— who recorded one goal in her first two seasons combined as a Cardinal — heads into Tuesday's showdown against Gustavus leading the team with 14 points. … Kassie Arriaga (Chula Vista, Calif.) 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 (Albert Lea, Minn.). … Arriaga owns the Cardinals' two penalty kick goals this season. … 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 12 games in goal for the Cardinals, equaled her single-season career high with 11 saves against St. Catherine on Sept. 29. … 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 Tuesday's showdown against Gustavus owning a 2.23 goals-against-average and a .671 save percentage. … Pederson has made 55 saves this season. … 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 on Sept. 2 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 18 of its 24 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 Gustavus Gusties:
2018 Roster | 2018 Statistics | 2018 Schedule
• Tuesday's showdown against Saint Mary's is the fourth home game in the last five contests for the Gusties, who are 1-4-1 on their home field this season. … Last Saturday's 4-3 loss to Bethel pushed the Gusties' losing streak to five straight and their winless streak to six (0-5-1). … Five of Gustavus' seven losses this season have been decided by one goal — including three 2-1 setbacks. … Gustavus has been outscored 15-7 during its current six-game winless streak, including surrendering nine goals in its last two games — a 5-2 loss to UW-La Crosse and a 4-3 loss to Bethel. … Abby Mullenbach enters Tuesday's matchup against Saint Mary's as the team's goal-scoring leader with four — one more than Emily Skogseth and Chase Miller. … Skogseth owns a team-leading three assists and Mullenbach leads the team with 10 points. … Gustavus' 18 goals this season have come from just eight players. Along with Mullenbach (4), Skogseth (3), and Miller (3), GAC has also gotten scoring from Katie Ashpole (2), Lauren Johnson (2), Rachel Rehnelt (2), Kylie Lamberty (1), and Lucy Thompson (1). … Miller has accounted for two of the team's four game-winning goals. … Abby Goodno has started nine of the Gusties' 12 games in goal, compiling a 1.62 goals-against-average and an .810 save percentage. … Leah Pavlish has made three starts in goal, posting a 2.33 GAA and .800 save percentage. … Goodno has made 64 saves, while Pavlish has stopped 28. … Gustavus has scored 11 of its 18 goals in the first half, while the Gusties' opponents have netted 16 of their 22 goals after halftime. … Gustavus has played three overtime games this season — falling to Wartburg (2-1) and St. Thomas (2-1), and tying Carleton (0-0).