By DONNY NADEAU
Saint Mary's Sports Information Director
 
WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota women's soccer team kicks off the 2019 season on its home turf Friday, as the Cardinals entertain Edgewood in a 7:30 p.m. nonconference contest at Ochrymowycz Field.
 
The Matchup:
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (2018: 8-10-0 Overall) vs. Edgewood Eagles (2018: 3-12-2 Overall)
 
GameDay Live On The Web:
• Live Stats * Live Video
 
Last Action:
• Today's nonconference matchup is the season opener for both the Cardinals and the Eagles.
 
Saint Mary's vs. Edgewood — Their Last Meeting:
• September 8, 2013 * Madison, Wis.: Defensively, Saint Mary's was near-perfect, as the Cardinals limited Edgewood to a single, first-half goal in the teams' nonconference game. Unfortunately for the Cardinals, that one goal proved to be enough, as the Eagles handed SMU a 1-0 setback | Recap
  
Up Next:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals hit the road for the first time this season on Friday, traveling to Fond du Lac, Wis., for a 7 p.m. nonconference showdown against Marian.
• Edgewood: The Eagles are right back on the road on Tuesday, traveling to De Pere, Wis., for a 7 p.m. nonconference matchup against St. Norbert.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2019 Roster | 2019 Schedule | 2018 Final Statistics
• Saint Mary's enter 2019 on the heels of 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. … The Cardinals ended the year 6-1 in nonconference play — the lone blemish a 2-0 loss to nationally ranked Loras on Sept. 8. … Cardinal seniors accounted for four goals and four assists in their final collegiate home game against Ripon on Oct. 24. Maura Michener (Winona, Minn.) scored twice and assisted on two others, while Maddy Wallraff (Coon Rapids, Minn.) and Erin McElligott (New York City, N.Y.) each finished with a goal and an assist. … Michener followed up that performance against Ripon with her second straight two-goal effort in netting both goals in the Cardinals' season-ending 3-2 overtime loss to Concordia on Oct. 27. … Michener's two-goal game against Concordia was her third of the season, while her six-point effort against Ripon was a collegiate best. … Saint Mary's had three players record two goals in a game last season. Michener did it three times, while Mary Loy (Burien, Wash.) and Megan Kowalis (Castle Rock, Colo.) each posted their first collegiate two-goal games against Lawrence on Sept. 2. … Michener closed out the season scoring seven goals in the Cardinals' last four games — and led the team with 14 goals. … Michener also led the team in points (32) and shared the team lead in assists (4) with Kassie Arriaga (Chula Vista, Calif.). … Michener's 14 goals were the most in a single season since Amy Sibik netted 14 goals during the 2009 campaign, while her 32 points were the most since Sibik recorded 32 points during the 2009 season. … Loy was second to Michener in goals with seven, while joining Wallraff, Arriaga, and Melina Rodriguez (Des Moines, Iowa) with three assists each. … Loy led the team with four game-winning goals. … Arriaga owned both of the Cardinals' two penalty kick goals a year ago. … Becca Dup (Albert Lea, Minn.) picked up a goal and an assist against Coe on Sept. 9 for her first multiple-point game this season. … Saint Mary's had four players record their first collegiate goals a year ago — Nete Storm Pedersen (Copenhagen, Denmark), Arriaga, Kowalis, and Rodriguez. … Gabriella Pederson (Chaska, Minn.), who started 17 games in goal for the Cardinals, needed to make just one save against Hamline on Oct. 13 in recording her third shutout of the season — and seventh of her collegiate career. … Pederson had to make just two saves — combined — in her three shutouts last season. Along with her one-save effort against Hamline, the then-junior made one save in blanking Martin Luther on Aug. 31 and did not have to make a stop two days later in shutting out Lawrence. … Pederson equaled her single-season career high with 11 saves against St. Catherine on Sept. 29. … Pederson closed out the year owning a 2.14 goals-against-average and a .673 save percentage. … Pederson made 76 saves this season. … Storm Pedersen made her first collegiate start in goal against Ripon on Oct. 24, stopping two of the five shots she faced in the 5-3 win. … The Cardinals' seven goals against Lawrence on Sept. 2 were not only a season high, but also the most since scoring 10 in a 10-0 rout of Finlandia on Sept. 9, 2017. … Saint Mary's scored 24 of its 39 goals a year ago in the second half — including six of seven against Lawrence on Sept. 2. … The Cardinals played three overtime games last season — with all three decided by a 3-2 decision. Saint Mary's lost to St. Catherine 3-2 in 2 OTs on Sept. 29, while beating Carleton 3-2 in 2 OTs on Oct. 17 and falling to Concordia 3-2 in OT in their season-finale on Oct. 27. … Saint Mary's 2-0 loss to Gustavus on Oct. 9 was just the third time this season the Cardinals have failed to score at least one goal. …  With their win over Coe on Sept. 9, Saint Mary's improved to 4-1-0 — equaling its five-game start of a year ago. … The Cardinals' 2-0 loss to No. 22 Loras on Sept. 8 snapped their season-opening three-game winning streak. … The Cardinals' 4-0 win over Martin Luther on Aug. 31 marked the second straight year in which Saint Mary's opened the year with a victory — and the second straight year in which SMU kicked off the year with a 4-0 triumph. Saint Mary's beat Lawrence to open the 2017 campaign.
 
Scouting The Edgewood Eagles:
2019 Roster | 2019 Schedule | 2018 Final Statistics
• The Eagles head into Friday's nonconference season-opener against Mary's having gone 3-12-2 a year ago, including a 2-8-1 showing in the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC). … Friday's game against Saint Mary's is the first of three straight road games for the Eagles, who play five of their first six games away from Breese Stevens Field in Madison, Wis. … Mari Hubanks was the Eagles' offensive leader in 2018, recording team-highs in goals (5), assists (4), and points (14). … Ashley Siegel was second to Hubanks in both goals (3) and points (7), while Lauren Clark was second in assists with three. … Edgewood's 16 goals a year ago came from eight different players. Along with Hubanks and Sigel, Aubrey Tarmann and Carrie Radomsky each scored twice, and Clark, Carolyn Evers, Lizzy Langer, and Alisha Nolden all chipped in one. … Edgewood's three game-winning goals last season came from three different players — Tarmann, Radomsky, and Nolden. … Grace Wildeboer, who earned honorable-mention All-NAAC in 2018, started all 17 games in goal — and played all 1589:10 minutes. … Wildeboer posted a 2.21 goals-against-average and a .766 save percentage, while finishing the year with 128 saves. … The Eagles scored 11 of their 16 goals after halftime. Edgewood was outscored 16-5 in the first half, and 23-11 after the break. … Edgewood finished 1-6-1 on its home field, while going 2-6-1 away from Breese Stevens Field in Madison, Wis.