By DONNY NADEAU
Saint Mary's Sports Information Director
 
WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University women's soccer team kicks off conference play on Tuesday, as the Cardinals welcome St. Catherine to Ochrymowycz Field for a  7 p.m. showdown.
 
The Matchup:
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (0-0-0 MIAC, 4-0-0 Overall) vs. St. Catherine Wildcats (3-2-0 Overall)
 
GameDay Live On The Web:
• Live Stats * Live Video
 
Last Action:
• Saint Mary's — September 14, 2019 * Winona, Minn.: The Cardinals got a goal and an assist from Nicole Thompson (Riverside, Calif.) — and goals from Melina Rodriguez (Des Moines, Iowa) and Jordyn Matthews (Seattle, Wash.) — in beating Martin Luther 3-0 at Ochrymowycz Field | Recap
• St. Catherine — September 14, 2019 * St. Paul, Minn.: The Wildcats scored a pair of first-half goals and added another in the second half en route to a 3-0 nonconference win over Northwestern (Minn.) | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. St. Catherine — Their Last Meeting:
• September 29, 2019 * St. Paul, Minn.: Gabriella Pederson (Chaska, Minn.) equaled her career high, stopping 11 St. Catherine shots in the teams' conference showdown at Ochrymowycz Field. Unfortunately, despite Pederson's efforts — and a pair of second-half goals — the Cardinals came up short, as the Wildcats scored 59 seconds into the second overtime to deal Saint Mary's a heartbreaking 3-2 loss | Recap
  
Up Next:
• Saint Mary's: After three straight road games, the Cardinals hit the road on Saturday, traveling to St. Peter, Minn., for a 3:30 p.m. conference contest against Gustavus.
• St. Catherine: The Wildcats kick off a three-game homestand on Saturday, entertaining Carleton in a 1 p.m. MIAC matchup at the SCU Outdoor Fields and Courts.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2019 Roster | 2019 Schedule | 2019 Statistics
• Tuesday's game against St. Catherine is the third straight home game for the Cardinals, who have played three of their first four games on their home turf. … With their 3-0 win over Martin Luther last Saturday, the Cardinals improved to 4-0-0 — starting the season 4-0-0 for the first time since 2009. Saint Mary's has now won five straight to open the year since the start of the 2007 season. … With 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 win over Martin Luther last Saturday was its third straight shutout — with all three ending in 3-0 decisions. … 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 last Saturday. … Melina Rodriguez (Des Moines, Iowa) and Jordyn Matthews (Seattle, Wash.) netted Saint Mary's other two goals against Martin Luther last Saturday. … Matthews' goal was her team-leading sixth of the season — the sophomore has scored at least once in all four of the Cardinals' games. … Matthews has already posted two, two-goal games this season — vs. Marian on Sept. 6 and Ripon on Sept. 8 — and leads the team in both goals (6) and points (13). … 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. … Mary Loy (Burien, Wash.) is second to Matthews in goals with two, while Thompson, Rodriguez, and Kendall Archer (Draper, Utah) have netted the team's other three goals. … The Cardinals' six assists this season have come from six different players. … 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. … Gabriella Pederson (Chaska, Minn.) stopped both shots she faced in all three of the Cardinals' 3-0 wins in the last week games en route to her first, second, and third shutouts of the season — and eighth, ninth, and 10th of her collegiate career. … Pederson has played every minute in goal for the Cardinals through four games, compiling a 0.25 goals-against-average and an .857 save percentage. … Saint Mary's has held its first four opponents to just seven shots on goal. … Saint Mary's has scored seven of its 11 goals in the second half, while the lone goal SMU's opponents have scored also came after the halftime break. … With their 3-0 win over Martin Luther last Saturday, the Cardinals improved to 6-0-0 all-time vs. the Knights — outscoring MLC 34-5 in their six meetings. … 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. Catherine Wildcats:
2019 Roster | 2019 Schedule | 2019 Statistics
• Tuesday's game at Saint Mary's is the last of three straight road games for the Wildcats, who are 1-1-0 in their first two road contests this season. … Both of the Wildcats' losses this season have been by one goal — a 1-0 setback to UW-Eau Claire on Sept. 1, and a 2-1, overtime setback against 17th-ranked UW-La Crosse on Sept. 11. … On the flip side, the Wildcats have outscored their opponents 13-1 in their three wins. St. Catherine scored a season-high seven goals in blanking UW-Stout 7-0 on Aug. 30, while scoring three goals in a 3-1 win over Coe on Sept. 7 and a 3-0 victory vs. Northwestern last Saturday. … Lauren Witte enters Tuesday's conference-opener against Saint Mary's leading the Wildcats in both goals (4) and points (8). … Witte has scored two goals in a game twice this season — vs. both UW-Stout and Coe. … Taylor Johnson, Allie Bird, and Amora Valencia are all second to Witte with two goals each, while Sofia Campbell, Nora McLoone, Julia Rupp, and Dana Lehtinen have accounted for the Wildcats' other four goals this season. … Johnson, Campbell, and McLoone have netted St. Catherine's three game-winning goals. … Amanda Elton owns a team-leading four assists, two more than Johnson and Amanda Carey. … Tayler Koop has started all five games in goal for the Wildcats, compiling a 0.88 goals-against-average and an .833 save percentage. … Koop has stopped 20 of the 24 shots she's faced in five games.