By DONNY NADEAU
Saint Mary's Sports Information Director
 
ST. PETER, Minn. — After back-to-back straight home games, the Saint Mary's University women's soccer team hits the road on Saturday, as the Cardinals head to Gustavus for a 3:30 p.m. MIAC showdown with Gustavus.
 
The Matchup:
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (0-1-0 MIAC, 4-1-0 Overall) at Gustavus Gusties (0-1-0 MIAC, 0-5-0 Overall)
 
GameDay Live On The Web:
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Last Action:
• Saint Mary's — September 17, 2019 * Winona, Minn.: St. Catherine scored with just over a minute remaining in regulation, breaking a 1-1 tie and dealing the Cardinals a heartbreaking 2-1 loss in the teams' conference opener at Ochrymowycz Field | Recap
• Gustavus — September 17, 2019 * St. Paul, Minn.: St. Thomas scored what proved to be the game-winning goal with just over two minutes remaining in the first half, and added a pair of second-half tallies, as the ninth-ranked Tommies dealt the Gusties a 3-0 setback in the teams' MIAC opener | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. Gustavus — Their Last Meeting:
• October 9, 2018 * St. Peter, Minn.: The Gusties erupted for a pair of second-half goals — and the Cardinals were held off the scoreboard, despite eight shots on goal — as Gustavus dealt Saint Mary's a 2-0 conference setback | Recap
  
Up Next:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals step out of conference play on Wednesday, hosting UW-Stout in a 7 p.m. nonconference game at Ochrymowycz Field.
• Gustavus: The Gusties are back on their home turf in St. Peter, Minn., on Monday, entertaining Northwestern in a 4 p.m. nonconference game.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2019 Roster | 2019 Schedule | 2019 Statistics
• Tuesday's game against St. Catherine was the second straight home game for the Cardinals, who have played three of their first five games on their home turf. … Tuesday's 2-1 loss to St. Catherine 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 SCU Tuesday was its second straight one-goal loss to the Wildcats, who beat the Cardinals in 3-2 in double overtime a year ago. … The Wildcats' goal in the 23rd minute Tuesday was the first allowed by the Cardinals since the 85th minute of their 2-1 win over Ripon on Sept. 8 — a span of more than 300 scoreless minutes. … Kassie Arriaga (Chula Vista, Calif.) scored the Cardinals' goal in Tuesday's 2-1 loss to St. Catherine. … 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 against Martin Luther last Saturday was her team-leading sixth of the season. … 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 Arriaga, Thompson, Rodriguez, and Kendall Archer (Draper, Utah) have netted the team's other four goals. … Matthews picked up her team-leading second assist on Arriaga's goal against St. Catherine Tuesday and the sophomore also leads the team with 14 points. … 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.) made a season-high six saves against St. Catherine Tuesday — including five in the second half. … Pederson stopped two shots in each of the Cardinals' back-to-back-to-back 3-0 shutout wins over Marian, Ripon, and Martin Luther. … With her three shutouts this season, Pederson has now record 10 shutouts in her collegiate career. … Pederson has played every minute in goal for the Cardinals through five games, compiling a 0.60 goals-against-average and an .800 save percentage. … Saint Mary's has scored eight of its 12 goals in the second half, while two of the three goals the Cardinals have allowed have also been scored after halftime. … 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. … 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 Gustavus Gusties:
2019 Roster | 2019 Schedule | 2019 Statistics
• Tuesday's game against St. Thomas was the second straight road game for the Gusties, who have opened the season playing four of their first five contests away from home. … With their 3-0 loss to ninth-ranked St. Thomas Tuesday, the Gusties are still searching for their first win of the season. … Three of Gustavus' five losses during their season-opening five-game losing streak have been by shutout. GAC has been outscored 13-2 through five games. … Katie Ashpole and Abby Mullenbach have scored the Gusties' two goals this season, while Ashpole and Judith Hepburn own GAC's two assists. … Ashley Becker has started all five games in goal for the Gusties, compiling a 2.71 goals-against-average and a .705 save percentage. … Becker has stopped 31 of the 44 shots she's faced — including a season-high 11-save effort against Loras on Sept. 1. … Gustavus has scored both of its goals this season in the first half, while the Gusties' opponents have scored four times in the opening 45 minutes, and nine times after the break.