By DONNY NADEAU
Saint Mary's Sports Information Director
 
NORTHFIELD, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University women's soccer team hits the road on Wednesday, as the Cardinals head to St. Olaf's Rolf Melby Field for a 4 p.m. MIAC matchup against the Oles.
 
The Matchup:
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (0-3-0 MIAC, 5-3-0 Overall) at St. Olaf Oles (2-1-0 MIAC, 5-3-1 Overall)
 
GameDay Live On The Web:
• Live Stats * Live Video
 
Last Action:
• Saint Mary's — September 28, 2019 * Winona, Minn.: Augsburg scored the game's only goal in the 28th minute, as the Auggies dealt the Cardinals a 1-0 conference setback at Ochrymowycz Field | Recap
• St. Olaf — September 28, 2019 * St. Paul, Minn.: No. 12 St. Thomas scored three goals in each half, as the nationally ranked Tommies rolled to a 6-0 conference win over the Oles at UST's South Field | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. St. Olaf — Their Last Meeting:
• September 15, 2018 * Northfield, Minn.: The Cardinal offense needed less than five minutes to find the back of the net their conference showdown against St. Olaf. Unfortunately, the Oles' offense proved to be even more potent, answering Saint Mary's early tally with three unanswered goals in an eight-minute span — and added another early in the second half — as St. Olaf dealt the Cardinals a 4-1 setback at Rolf Melby Field | Recap
 
Up Next:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals are back on their home turf at Ochrymowycz Field on Saturday, entertaining Saint Benedict in a 3:30 p.m. MIAC contest.
• St. Olaf: The Oles hit the road on Saturday, heading to St. Peter, Minn., for a 3:30 conference showdown against Gustavus.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2019 Roster | 2019 Schedule | 2019 Statistics
• Wednesday's game at St. Olaf is just the fourth road game for the Cardinals, who are 3-2-0 at home, while going 2-1-0 away from Ochrymowycz Field. … The Cardinals' 1-0 loss to Augsburg last Saturday marked the third time in as many losses that the game has been decided by one goal. Saint Mary's other two losses are 2-1 setbacks to St. Catherine and Gustavus — with both games decided in the final three minutes of regulation. … With their 2-0 victory over UW-Stout last Wednesday, the Cardinals have recorded shutouts in four of their five wins this season. … Last Wednesday's 2-0 win over UW-Stout also snapped Saint Mary's two game-losing streak. … 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. … Jordyn Matthews (Seattle, Wash.) heads into Wednesday's game against St. Olaf leading the Cardinals in goals with seven, while Kassie Arriaga (Chula Vista, Calif.), Nicole Thompson (Riverside, Calif.), and Mary Loy (Burien, Wash.) are all second with two each. Melina Rodriguez (Des Moines, Iowa), and Kendall Archer (Draper, Utah) have netted the team's other two goals. … Matthews also leads the team in both assists (3) and points (17). … Matthews has already posted two, two-goal games this season — vs. Marian on Sept. 6 and Ripon on Sept. 8. … 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. … 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 0.75 goals-against-average and .786 save percentage. … Pederson picked up her fourth shutout of the season — and 11th of her collegiate career — with a three-save effort against UW-Stout last Wednesday. … Saint Mary's has scored 10 of its 15 goals in the second half, while Saint Mary's opponents have netted three goals in the first half and three after halftime. … 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. … 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. … 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 St. Olaf Oles:
2019 Roster | 2019 Schedule | 2019 Statistics
• Wednesday's game against Saint Mary's is the third home game in the last four contests for the Oles, who are 3-2-0 at Rolf Melby Field this season. … Last Saturday's 6-0 loss to St. Thomas was the Oles' second straight setback. … St. Olaf has been outscored 13-1 in its three losses this season — including a 4-0 loss to UW-Eau Claire and a 6-0 setback to St. Thomas in its last two contests. … Last Wednesday's 4-0 loss to UW-Eau Claire snapped the Oles' three-game winning streak and five-game unbeaten streak (4-0-1) — both season-highs. … Tessa Anderson and Mackenzie Schoustra share the team lead with three goals each, one more than Hayley Hoffmann, Maggie Wilson, Annie Reichoff, and Grace Maxwell. … Anderson shares the team lead in goals, despite not starting one of the team's nine games. … Hoffmann owns the team lead in assists with three, while Anderson's eight points are a team-best. … Hoffmann has netted two of St. Olaf's five game-winning goals, with Reichoff, Anna Newby, and Eileen Healy scoring the other three. … Brynne Davis has started all nine games in goal for St. Olaf, compiling a 2.43 goals-against-average and a .621 save percentage. … David has stopped 26 of the 58 shots she's faced. … Grace Sorangers has made one relief appearance between the pipes for the Oles, but did not face a shot. … St. Olaf has scored 11 of its 20 goal in the first half, while the Oles' opponents have scored 12 of their 22 games after halftime. … St. Olaf has played two overtime games this season — beating Macalester 3-2 on Sept. 21 and tying UW-Stevens Point 1-1 on Sept. 8.