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 Monday, as the Cardinals entertain UW-Superior in a 7 p.m. nonconference match.
 
The Matchup:
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (5-5-0 Overall) vs. UW-Superior Yellowjackets (2-6-2 Overall)
 
GameDay Live On The Web:
• Live Stats * Live Video
 
Last Action:
• Saint Mary's — October 5, 2019 * Winona, Minn.: Saint Benedict scored single goals in each half, as the Bennies dealt the Cardinals a 2-0 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference setback at Ochrymowycz Field | Recap
• UW-Superior — October 5, 2019 * Superior, Wis.: Morgan Philliber made a career-high 15 saves, but it was not enough, as UW-Stout handed the Yellowjackets a 1-0 setback at NBC Spartan Sports Complex | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. UW-Superior — Their Last Meeting:
• September 18, 2016 * Superior, Wis.: The Cardinals, who went into the halftime break deadlocked with the Yellowjackets 0-0, erupted for four second-half goals — from four different players — en route to a 4-0 victory | Recap
  
Up Next:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals are now off until Saturday, when they are back on the turf at Ochrymowycz Field for a 3:30 p.m. Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference game against Bethel.
• UW-Superior: The Yellowjackets are right back in action on Wednesday, returning home to the NBC Spartan Sports Complex in Superior, Wis., for a 3:30 UMAC showdown against North Central.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2019 Roster | 2019 Schedule | 2019 Statistics
• Monday's game against UW-Superior is the second of three straight home games for the Cardinals, who are 3-3-0 on their home turf. … 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 last Wednesday's loss to St. Olaf were the most scored in a loss since netting three in a 6-3 setback to No. 9 Loras on Oct. 9, 2013. … Jordyn Matthews (Seattle, Wash.) recorded her first collegiate hat trick last Wednesday, accounting for all three Cardinal goals in the 4-3, double-overtime loss to St. Olaf. … Matthews' hat trick vs. St. Olaf last Wednesday was the Cardinals' first since Emily Loof netted three goals against Bethany Lutheran on 6, 2017. … Matthews has now recorded three multiple-goal games this season, having netted two goals against both Marian on Sept. 6 and Ripon two days later. … With her three goals against the Oles, Matthews pushed her team-leading total to 10, 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 points with 23, 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. … 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 1.18 goals-against-average and .700 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 on Sept. 25. … Saint Mary's has scored 11 of its 18 goals in the second half, while Saint Mary's opponents have netted six goals in the first half and six after halftime. … Four of the Cardinals' five wins this season have been by shutout. …  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. … 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 UW-Superior Yellowjackets:
2019 Roster | 2019 Schedule | 2019 Statistics
• Last Tuesday's game against UW-Stout was the Yellowjackets' third straight home game. UW-Superior is 1-3-1 at NBC Sports Complex this season. … UW-Superior has already had three games postponed due to weather this season — including the originally scheduled Sept. 11 date against Saint Mary's and Saturday's matchup at Martin Luther. … UW-Superior's 1-0, overtime win over Northland on Sept. 29 snapped the Blue Devils' three-game losing streak and four-game winless streak (0-3-1). … Saint Mary's is the third opponent from the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference for the Yellowjackets, who have already faced Concordia (L, 3-0) and Concordia (6-0). … Annah Schussman enters Monday's showdown with Saint Mary's having scored four of the Yellowjackets' seven goals. Emma Street, Olivia Gaffney, and Claire Smith have netted UW-Superior's other three goals. … Ivy Grochowski and Kaylie Johnson share the team lead with two assists each, while Schussman boasts a team-leading nine points. … Schussman and Street have netted the Yellowjackets' two game-winning goals this season. … Madison Guetkunst has started seven of the team's nine games in goal, compiling a 1.95 goals-against-average and an .837 save percentage. … Morgan Philliber — who stopped a career-high 15 shots in the Yellowjackets' 1-0 loss to UW-Stout last Tuesday — owns a 1.67 GAA and .886 save percentage in four appearances. … Gutekunst has made 67 saves this season, while Philliber has stopped 39 of the 44 shots she's faced. … The Yellowjackets have failed to score in five of their six losses this season, the lone exception, a season-opening 3-1 setback against Austin (Texas) to open the season on Aug. 30. … UW-Superior has outscored its opponents 6-2 in its two wins — beating Alverno 4-1 and Northland 2-1 in overtime. … UW-Superior has scored four of its seven goals this season after halftime. The Yellowjackets' opponents, meanwhile, have netted 11 goals in the first half and eight after the break.