By DONNY NADEAU
Saint Mary's Sports Information Director
 
PELLA, Iowa — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota men's soccer team is back in action on Saturday, as the Cardinals travel to Central for a 5 p.m. nonconference game against the Dutch.
 
The Matchup:
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (3-0-0 Overall) at Central Dutch (0-3-0 Overall)
 
GameDay Live On The Web:
• Live Stats * Live Video
 
Last Action:
• Saint Mary's—September 4, 2018 * St. Bonifacius, Minn.: The Cardinals scored three goals in the first half and cruised to their third straight victory, a 4-1 nonconference win over Crown | Recap
• Central—September 5, 2018 • Mount Vernon, Iowa: The Dutch saw their season-opening losing streak climb to three, as David Berger scored three minutes into the second overtime, lifting Cornell to a 2-1 win | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. Central—Their Last Meeting:
• September 12, 2003 • Pella, Iowa: The Cardinals saw their season-opening losing streak climb to five straight, as Central-Iowa scored once in the first half and twice in the second en route to a 3-0 victory | Recap
 
Up Next:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals kick off Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play on Wednesday, hosting St. Thomas in a 4 p.m. contest at Ochrymowycz Field.
• Central: The Dutch hit the road on Tuesday, traveling to Monmouth, Ill., for a 5 p.m. nonconference game against Monmouth.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2018 Roster | 2018 Schedule | 2018 Statistics
• Saturday's game at Central-Iowa is the third straight road game for the Cardinals. … The Cardinals head into their nonconference showdown against the Dutch riding a season-opening three-game winning streak—and are looking to start the season 4-0-0 for the second consecutive year. … Eli Szymanski (La Crosse, Wis.) and Johnluke Nahorski (Minnetonka, Minn.) scored their first collegiate goals in Saint Mary's season-opening 3-1 win over North Central on Aug. 31, while Klaus Friedli (Marshfield, Wis.) tallied his first goal in a Cardinal uniform in Saint Mary's 4-1 victory over Crown on Tuesday. … Szymanski, who also scored one of Saint Mary's three goals against Martin Luther on Sept. 1, picked up his first collegiate two-assist game against Crown on Tuesday and has now recorded at least one point in all three of SMU's games this season. … Josh Balsiger (Camas, Wash.), Chris Beiersdorf (Arlington Heights, Ill.), and Kyle Lichttenegger (De Pere, Wis.) joined Friedli as goal-scorers against Crown Tuesday. … Szymanski heads into Saturday's game against Central-Iowa 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.), stopped four of the five shots he faced against North Central in the Cardinals' season-opening 3-1 win on Aug. 31, picked up his second win of the season against Crown Tuesday, stopping one of the two shots he faced in 64 minutes of work. … 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 Tuesday. … As a team, the Cardinals have scored three or more goals in all three of their games 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 four goals in the first half, while netting six goals after the break. … The Cardinals hold a commanding 30-12 advantage in shots on goal through three games. … With their 3-1 win over North Central last Friday, the Cardinals have now won their season-opener in each of their last four seasons.
 
Scouting The Central Dutch:
2018 Roster | 2018 Statistics | 2018 Schedule
• With Wednesday's loss to Cornell, the Dutch have now lost each of their first three games this season—including the last two in overtime. … Central has dropped back-to-back 2-1 decisions—falling to Iowa Wesleyan in OT and Cornell in double-overtime. … Central has surrendered the game's first goal in all three of its contests this season. … Ian Meentemeyer and Jake Dzamowski have scored Central's two goals this season, while Miguel Pina owns the team's lone assist. … Salvador Salado-Herrera, who won 10 of his 16 starts as a freshman a year ago—posting a 1.19 goals-against-average—has started all three games in goal for the Dutch, compiling a 2.17 GAA and a .632 save percentage. … Salado-Herrera has stopped 12 of the 19 shots he's faced this season. … Both of Central's goals have come in the second half, while their opponents of netted five of their seven goals in the first half—with the other two coming in overtime or double overtime. … The Dutch return 16 letterwinners—including eight starters—last year's squad, which finished 10-6 overall, but just 3-5 in Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play.