By DONNY NADEAU
Saint Mary's Sports Information Director
 
WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University women's soccer team returns home to Ochrymowycz Field on Saturday, as the Cardinals entertain Bethel in a 3:30 p.m. conference matchup.
 
The Matchup:
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (0-5-0 MIAC, 6-5-0 Overall) vs. Bethel Royals (3-2-0 MIAC, 9-2-0 Overall)
 
GameDay Live On The Web:
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Last Action:
• Saint Mary's — October 7, 2019 * Winona, Minn.: The Cardinals erupted for five first-half goals — including a pair from conference scoring leader Jordyn Matthews (Seattle, Wash.) — as they rolled to an 8-0 nonconference win over UW-Superior at Ochrymowycz Field | Recap
• Bethel — October 9, 2019 * Arden Hills, Minn.: Bethel scored a pair of goals in each half, as the Royals cruised to a streak-snapping 4-0 nonconference win over Finlandia at Ona Orth Athletic Complex | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. Bethel — Their Last Meeting:
• September 26, 2018 * Arden Hills, Minn.: Bethel rattled off three unanswered goals — two in the first half less than five minutes apart and another in the second half — as the Royals dealt the Cardinals a 3-1 conference setback at Ona Orth Athletic Complex | Recap
  
Up Next:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals hit the road on Tuesday, heading to Northfield, Minn., for a 3:30 p.m. MIAC contest against Carleton
• Bethel: The Royals are back on the road on Tuesday, traveling to St. Peter, Minn., to take on Gustavus in a 3:30 p.m. conference showdown.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2019 Roster | 2019 Schedule | 2019 Statistics
• Saturday's game against Bethel is the third straight home game for the Cardinals, who are 4-3-0 on their home turf this season. … The Cardinals scored a season-high eight goals in last Monday's 8-0 nonconference win over UW-Superior. It was the highest offensive output since Saint Mary's scored 10 goals against Finlandia on Sept. 9, 2017. … The Cardinals' eight goals against the Yellowjackets last Monday came from seven different players — including collegiate firsts from Claire Fletcher (Woodbury, Minn.), Avery Sutton (Minneapolis, Minn.), Haylee Queen (Spokane, Wash.), and Abbi Mazurek (Darien, Ill.). … Jordyn Matthews (Seattle, Wash.) scored a pair of goals against UW-Superior last Monday, while Kassie Arriaga (Chula Vista, Calif.) and Natalie Ruegsegger (Billings, Mont.) accounted for the Cardinals' other two goals. … Matthews' two goals against UW-Superior marked the fourth time this season the Cardinal sophomore has posted a multiple-goal game. Matthews recorded her first collegiate hat trick on Oct. 2, accounting for all three Cardinal goals in the 4-3, double-overtime loss to St. Olaf, while netting a pair of goals against both Marian on Sept. 6 and Ripon two days later. … Matthews' hat trick vs. St. Olaf last Wednesday was the Cardinals' first since Emily Loof netted three goals against Bethany Lutheran on 6, 2017. … With her two goals against UW-Superior last Monday, Matthews pushed her team- and conference-leading total to 12, while Arriaga is second with three, one more than Nicole Thompson (Riverside, Calif.) and Mary Loy (Burien, Wash.). … Matthews also leads the team in points with 27, while sharing the team lead in assists (3) with Thompson. … Matthews scored the Cardinals' first goal of the season, finding the back of the net at 31:39 of the opening half against Edgewood on Aug. 30. It was not only the Cardinals' first goal of the season, but also the first of Matthews' SMU career. … Loy's goal against Ripon on Sept. 6 was her second game-winning goal of the season and sixth game-winning goal in the last two seasons. She led the Cardinals with four game-winners a year ago. … The Cardinals boast five players who have scored their first collegiate goals this season. Along with Fletcher, Sutton, Haylee Queen, and Mazurek —who all achieved the feat against UW-Superior last Monday — Thompson scored her first collegiate goal and added an assist for her first multiple-point game in a Cardinal uniform in Saint Mary's 3-0 win over Martin Luther on Sept. 14. … Gabriella Pederson (Chaska, Minn.), who made a season-high six saves against St. Catherine on Sept. 17 — including five in the second half — has played every minute in goal for the Cardinals, compiling a 1.07 goals-against-average and .707 save percentage. … Pederson picked up her fifth shutout of the season — and 12th of her collegiate career — stopping the Yellowjackets' lone, second-half shot last Monday. … Saint Mary's has scored 12 goals in the first half — including five against UW-Superior last Monday — while netting 14 goals after halftime. On the flip side, Saint Mary's opponents have netted six goals in the first half and six after halftime. … Five of the Cardinals' six wins this season have been by shutout. … Four of the Cardinals' five losses this season have been by one goal — the lone exception, Saturday's 2-0 setback against Saint Benedict. Saint Mary's other four losses include a 4-3, double-overtime loss to St. Olaf, a 1-0 setback to Augsburg, and 2-1 losses to both St. Catherine and Gustavus — with both 2-1 games decided in the final three minutes of regulation. … Saint Mary's three goals in its 4-3, 2 OT loss to St. Olaf on Oct. 2 were the most scored in a loss since netting three in a 6-3 setback to No. 9 Loras on Oct. 9, 2013. … Saint Mary's 2-1 loss to St. Catherine on Sept. 17 snapped the Cardinals' season-opening four-game winning streak. It was the first time since the 2009 season that Saint Mary's had opened the year with four consecutive wins. … Saint Mary's loss to St. Catherine on Sept. 17 was its second straight one-goal loss to the Wildcats, who beat the Cardinals in 3-2 in double overtime a year ago. … Last Monday's 8-0 win over UW-Superior moved the Cardinals to 7-0-0 against the Yellowjackets all-time. Saint Mary's holds a 25-1 scoring edge vs. the Yellowjackets — including shutouts in each of the last six meetings. … With their 3-0 win over Martin Luther on Sept. 14, the Cardinals improved to 6-0-0 all-time vs. the Knights — outscoring MLC 34-5 in their six meetings. … Fueled by their 4-0-0 start, the Cardinals are now 10-1-0 in nonconference play over the last two years — the lone blemish a 2-0 loss to nationally ranked Loras on Sept. 8. … With their 3-0 win over Ripon on Sept. 8, Saint Mary's has now outscored the Red Hawks 30-8 in their last nine meetings. … Saint Mary's 2-1 win over Edgewood on Aug. 30 marked the third straight year in which the Cardinals have won their season opener. … Saint Mary's is coming off an 8-10-0 showing a year ago, including winning three of their last five games. … The Cardinals' eight wins in 2018 were the most since Saint Mary's finished 9-8-1 in 2009.
 
Scouting The Bethel Royals:
2019 Roster | 2019 Schedule | 2019 Statistics
• Saturday's game at Saint Mary's is the first of back-to-back road games for the Royals, who are 4-1-0 away from Ona Orth Athletic Complex this season. … The Royals' 4-0 win over Finlandia Wednesday snapped their two-game losing streak. … After opening the season with eight consecutive wins, Bethel dropped back-to-back 2-1 decisions to Macalester and St. Thomas — the UST contest decided in double overtime — before Wednesday's win over Finlandia. … BU's 4-0 victory over Finlandia Wednesday was its eighth shutout win of the season. The only win this season in which the Royals were scored on was a 5-2 victory over Concordia on Sept. 21. … Bethel has outscored its opponents 37-2 in its nine wins this season. … Lauren Davis heads into Saturday's showdown against Saint Mary's leading the team in goals with 10, one more than Sophie Kendall and two in front of Rachel Waterman. … Waterman (7) and Tessah Anderson (6) are the team's assist leaders, while Davis owns a team-high 25 points. … Davis is one of four Royals with 10 or more points through 11 games — Waterman (23), Kendall (22), and Brooke Ogne (12) are the other three. … Kendall has scored a team-leading three game-winning goals, one more than Davis. … Bethel is 2-for-3 in penalty kick chances this season, with Davis and Waterman accounting for the two PK goals. … Kaylee Peterson has started all 11 games in goal for the Royals, compiling a 0.58 goals-against-average and .854 save percentage. … Peterson has stopped 35 of the 41 shots she's faced this season. … Bethel has scored five or more goals in a game five times this season — including three 6-0 wins and a season-high nine-goal effort in a 9-0 victory over Bethany Lutheran on Sept. 4.