By DONNY NADEAU
Saint Mary's Sports Information Director
 
RIVER FALLS, Wis. — The Saint Mary's University women's soccer team closes out the nonconference portion of its schedule on Wednesday, heading to UW-River Falls for a 3 p.m. matchup against the Falcons.
 
The Matchup:
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (7-6-1 Overall) at UW-River Falls Falcons (8-7-1 Overall)
 
GameDay Live On The Web:
• Live Stats * Live Video
 
Last Action:
• Saint Mary's — October 19, 2019 * Winona, Minn.: The Cardinals picked up their first conference win of the season, getting a goal from Genesis Capacio (La Vegas, Nev.) in the second overtime en route to a 1-0 win over Concordia at Ochrymowycz Field | Recap
• UW-River Falls — October 19, 2019 * La Crosse, Wis.: UW-La Crosse scored once in the first half and twice more in the second, as the Eagles dealt the Falcons a 3-0 WIAC setback at Veterans Memorial Stadium | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. UW-River Falls — Their Last Meeting:
• September 19, 2018 * Winona, Minn.: Maura Michener (Winona, Minn.) and Mary Loy (Burien, Wash.) provided the perfect 1-2 punch for the Cardinals — scoring goals 20 minutes apart in the second half — to lift Saint Mary's to a 2-1 nonconference win over UW-River Falls at Ochrymowycz Field | Recap
 
Up Next:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals return to conference play on Saturday, heading to St. Paul, Minn., for a 3:30 p.m. MIAC contest against Hamline.
• UW-River Falls: The Falcons return to the UW-River Falls Soccer Stadium on Saturday, playing host to UW-Oshkosh in a 2 p.m. WIAC contest.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2019 Roster | 2019 Schedule | 2019 Statistics
• Saturday's game against Concordia was the fourth home game in the last five contests for the Cardinals, who play their next three contests on the road — beginning Wednesday at UW-River Falls. … Last Saturday's 1-0 victory over Concordia was the Cardinals' second straight overtime game — Saint Mary's tied Carleton 1-1 last Tuesday. … Saint Mary's has now played three overtime games this season — Along with last Saturday's 1-0 win over Concordia and last Tuesday's 1-1 deadlock at Carleton, the Cardinals also dropped a 4-3 decision to St. Olaf on Oct. 2. … All three of Saint Mary's overtime games have gone into the second extra 10-minute session. … Genesis Capacio (Las Vegas, Nev.) scored her first collegiate goal in the second OT last Saturday against Concordia. … The Cardinals boast six players who have scored their first collegiate goals this season. Along with Capacio, the Cardinals also have gotten collegiate first from Claire Fletcher (Woodbury, Minn.), Avery Sutton (Minneapolis, Minn.), Haylee Queen (Spokane, Wash.), and Abbi Mazurek (Darien, Ill.) — who all achieved the feat against UW-Superior on Oct. 7 — while Nicole Thompson (Riverside, Calif.) 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. … Jordyn Matthews scored her team- and conference-leading 13th goal of the season to account for the Cardinals' goal against Carleton on Oct. 15. … Matthews scored a pair of goals against UW-Superior on Oct. 7, marking 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 on Oct. 2 was the Cardinals' first since Emily Loof netted three goals against Bethany Lutheran on 6, 2017. … Cassie Arriaga (Chula Vista, Calif.) is second to Matthews in goals with three, one more than Thompson and Mary Loy (Burien, Wash.). … Matthews also leads the team in points with 29, 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. … Gabriella Pederson (Chaska, Minn.), who made a season-high six saves against St. Catherine on Sept. 17, picked up her sixth shutout of the season and 13th of her collegiate career with a two-save effort against Concordia last Saturday. … Pederson has compiled a 0.97 goals-against-average and .793 save percentage in 12 starts this season. … Alexis Nguyen (West Corvina, Calif.) made her first collegiate start in goal for the Cardinals against Bethel last Saturday, finishing with four saves, and added a career-high five saves in her second career start against Carleton on Oct. 15. … Saint Mary's has scored 13 goals in the first half, while netting 15 goals after halftime. On the flip side, Saint Mary's opponents have netted nine goals in the first half and eight after halftime. … Six of the Cardinals' seven wins this season have been by shutout. Four of the Cardinals' six losses, meanwhile, have been by one goal — the lone exceptions, a 2-0 setback against Saint Benedict on Oct. 5 a 4-0 loss to Bethel on Oct. 12. 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. … The Cardinals scored a season-high eight goals in an 8-0 nonconference win over UW-Superior on Oct. 7. It was the highest offensive output since Saint Mary's scored 10 goals against Finlandia on Sept. 9, 2017. … Saint Mary's 1-0, 2 OT win over Concordia last Saturday marked the third straight meeting between the two teams that has gone into a second overtime. Saint Mary's is 1-1-1 in those three contests. … 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. … The Cardinals' 1-1 tie against Carleton marked the second straight meeting between the two teams that has been extended to a second OT. Saint Mary's beat Carleton 3-2 a year ago in two overtimes, snapping a 13-game losing streak vs. the Knights. … 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. … Saint Mary's 8-0 win over UW-Superior on Oct. 7 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 six nonconference wins this season, 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, 2018 … 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 UW-River Falls Falcons:
2019 Roster | 2019 Schedule | 2019 Statistics
• Wednesday's game against Saint Mary's is the first of three straight home contests to close out the regular season for the Falcons, who are 5-3-0 at UW-River Falls Soccer Stadium this season. … Saint Mary's is the fourth opponent from the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference for the Falcons, who have already played Concordia (L, 2-1), Macalester (W, 1-0), and Hamline (W, 3-2). … The Falcons' 3-0 loss to UW-La Crosse last Saturday pushed their losing streak to a season-high three straight. … UW-River Falls has been shut out in each of its three contests during its current three-game slide — being outscored 10-0. … After opening the season with wins in seven of their first eight games, the Falcons are just 1-6-1 in their last eight contests. … Maggie Koehler heads into Wednesday's nonconference showdown against Saint Mary's leading the team with seven goals, one more than Camryn Altnau and Mariah Troje. … Lexi Peterson is the team's assist leader with six. … Along with her team-high seven goals, Koehler also owns a team-best 18 points. … Koehler is one of four Falcons with 10 or more points through 15 games, being joined by Altnau (15), Troje (15), and Peterson (10). … Troje and Koehler share the team lead with two game-winning goals each. … UW-River Falls is 2-for-2 in penalty kicks, with Troje converting both. … UW-River Falls has used three different goalkeepers this season, led by Haley Crosby, who has compiled a 1.49 goals-against-average and .790 save percentage in nine appearances. Amanda Ladue owns a 1.72 GAA and .767 save percentage in six games, while Alivia Kons (0.80 GAA, .667 save %) has appeared in three games. … Crosby owns a team-high 49 saves, followed by Ladue with 23. … UW-River Falls has scored 11 goals in the first half, while netting 15 after halftime. On the flip side, the Falcons' opponents have scored eight first-half tallies and added 14 goals after the break. … UW-River Falls has played two overtime games this season — beating Ripon 3-2 in its season-opener on Aug. 30, while battling UW-Platteville to a 1-1 draw on Oct. 5.