By DONNY NADEAU
Saint Mary's Sports Information Director
 
WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota men's soccer team steps out of conference play on Wednesday, as the Cardinals host Loras in a 7:30 p.m. matchup at Ochrymowycz Field.
 
The Matchup:
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (3-3-0 Overall) vs. Loras Duhawks (3-1-0 Overall)
 
GameDay Live On The Web:
• Live Stats * Live Video | GameDay Program
 
Last Action:
• Saint Mary's—September 15, 2018 * Northfield, Minn.: St. Olaf erupted for three goals in the second half, as the Oles dealt the Cardinals a 4-1 conference setback at Rolf Melby Field | Recap
• Loras—September 16, 2018 * Chicago, Ill.: Despite a career-high eight saves from Jesse Buffington, the Duhawks were no match for second-ranked University of Chicago, as the Maroons deals Loras its first loss of the season, 3-0 | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. Loras—Their Last Meeting:
• October 9, 2013 • Winona, Minn.: Loras, coming off its first loss of the season — snapping an 11-game unbeaten streak (9-0-2) — scored a pair of first-half goals and never looked back in handing Saint Mary's a 5-0 nonconference setback at Ochrymowycz Field | Recap
 
Up Next:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals return home to Ochrymowycz Field again on Saturday, playing host to Augsburg in a 3:30 p.m. Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference matchup.
• Loras: The Duhawks are back on the road on Saturday, traveling to Dubuque, Iowa, for a 7:30 p.m. American Rivers Conference showdown against the University of Dubuque.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2018 Roster | 2018 Schedule | 2018 Statistics
• Wednesday's game against Loras is just the second home game in the last six contests for the Cardinals. … Robbie Sobczak (Cloquet, Minn.) scored his first goal of the season to account for the Cardinals' lone tally in last Saturday's 4-1 loss to St. Olaf. … Sobczak becomes the eighth different player to score for the Cardinals this season. … Eli Szymanski (La Crosse, Wis.) and Josh Balsiger (Camas, Wash.) share the team lead with two goals each, while Sobczak, Johnluke Nahorski (Minnetonka, Minn.), Charles Reit (Arcadia, Wis.), Kyle Lichttenegger (De Pere, Wis.), Chris Beiersdorf (Arlington Heights, Ill.), and Klaus Friedli (Marshfield, Wis.) own Saint Mary's other six goals. … Szymanski and Nahorski scored 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 … Szymanski heads into Wednesday's showdown against Loras leading the team in assists (3) and points (7), while sharing the team lead in goals (2) with Balsiger. … Mateo Means (Dallas, Texas) and Wally Barros (Santa Maria da Boa Vista, Brazil) sit second to Szymanski with two assists each. … Alberto Centeno (Elk Grove Village, Ill.), who made a season-high seven saves in last Wednesday's conference-opening loss to No. 4 St. Thomas, finished with five saves against St. Olaf last Saturday. Centeno had made eight saves in his previous three starts combined. … Centeno owns a 2.33 goals-against-average and a .645 save percentage in five starts this season. … Centeno has stopped 20 of the 31 shots he's faced through five starts. … Michael Maniak (Wisconsin Dells, Wis.) has stopped all five shots he's faced in goal this season—making three saves against Martin Luther on Sept. 1 and stopping both shots he faced in relief of Centeno against Crown on Sept. 4. … As a team, the Cardinals have scored three or more goals in all three of their wins this season — netting three goals in wins over Martin Luther (3-1) and North Central (3-0), and tallying a season-high four goals in beating Crown 4-1. … Saint Mary's has scored five goals in the first half, while netting six goals after the break. On the flip side, the Cardinals' opponents have scored four first-half goals and seven goals after halftime. … The Cardinals hold a 44-36 advantage in shots on goal through six games. … 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 Loras Duhawks:
2018 Roster | 2018 Statistics | 2018 Schedule
• Wednesday's game against Saint Mary's is the third of four straight road games in a seven-day span for the Duhawks. … Last Sunday's 3-0 loss to second-ranked University of Chicago was Loras' first loss of the season, snapping their season-opening three-game winning streak. … The Duhawks' loss to the Maroons was also the first time Loras has been shut out since falling to No. 4 St. Thomas 1-0 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament a year ago. … All three of Loras' wins this season have been decided by one goal — 1-0 wins over Elmhurst and St. Olaf, and a 3-2 victory over Carthage. … The Duhawks' five goals this season have come from five different players — Manny Lopez, Marcus Singleton, Ezekiel Kyoore, Connor McGarry, and Mark Broderick. … Chris Alfaro owns a team-high two assists, with Lopez leading the team with three points. … Both of Alfaro's assists came in last Saturday's 3-2 win over Carthage. … Lopez, Singleton, and Kyoore have scored Loras' three game-winning goals this season. … Jesse Buffington has started all four games in goal, compiling a 1.39 goals-against-average and a .750 save percentage. … Buffington — who stopped a career-high eight shots in last Sunday's 3-0 loss to second-ranked University of Chicago — has stopped 15 of the 20 shots he's faced this season. … Jack Monson has made one appearance in goal for the Duhawks, stopping the lone shot he faced in the second half of a 1-0 win over Elmhurst on Aug. 31. … Loras has scored three of its five goals in the first half, while the Duhawks' opponents have scored three of their five goals after halftime. … Loras has played one overtime game this season — beating Carthage 3-2 on a goal with six seconds remaining in the first OT.