By DONNY NADEAU
Saint Mary's Sports Information Director
 
INDIANOLA, Iowa — The Saint Mary's University men's soccer team — coming off its conference-opener against Gustavus on Saturday — steps out of conference play again on Wednesday, as the Cardinals head to Simpson for a 6 p.m. nonconference matchup against the Storm.
 
The Matchup:
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (3-3-0 Overall) at Simpson Storm (7-1-0 Overall)
 
GameDay Live On The Web:
• Live Stats * Live Video
 
Last Action:
• Saint Mary's­­—September 21, 2019 * St. Peter, Minn.: Gustavus scored single goals in each half, as the Gusties handed the Cardinals a 2-0 setback in Saint Mary's MIAC-opener at Gustie Soccer Field | Recap
• Simpson—September 21, 2019 * Fulton, Mo.: Darius Doswell and Enrique Idehen each scored two goals in a game for the second time this season, as the Storm rolled to a lopsided 7-2 nonconference win over Westminster | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. Simpson — Their Last Meeting:
• October 17, 2018 * Winona, Minn.: The Storm scored the game's only goal five minutes into the second half, as Simpson dealt the Cardinals a 1-0 setback at Ochrymowycz Field to close out the nonconference portion of Saint Mary's schedule | Recap
 
Up Next:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals return to Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play on Saturday, entertaining Augsburg in a 1 p.m. matchup at Ochrymowycz Field.
• Simpson: The Storm is back in American Rivers Conference action on Saturday, hosting Wartburg in a 7 p.m. showdown in Indianola, Iowa.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2019 Roster | 2019 Schedule | 2019 Statistics
• Wednesday's game against Simpson is the third straight road contest for the Cardinals — their longest road stretch of the season. … With their 9-0 win over North Central and 1-0 loss to Gustavus last week, all six of the Cardinals' games this season have been decided by shutout. Saint Mary's opened the season with a 5-0 win over Marian, followed that up with a 4-0 loss to Loras, a 2-0 win over Edgewood, and a 1-0 loss to Central-Iowa, before last Thursday's decision against North Central and Saturday's loss to Gustavus. … The Cardinals scored a season-high nine goals in their 9-0 rout of North Central last Thursday. The nine goals were the most since Saint Mary's scored 11 in an 11-1 win over Presentation during the 2013 season. … Saint Mary's nine-goal outburst was also the third-highest offensive performance in program history, ranking behind the 10 goals scored vs. Rockford in 2006 and the 11 scored vs. Presentation in 2013. …  Garrett Jackson (West Linn, Ore.) and Jacob Clements (Holmen, Wis.) each posted their first collegiate two-goal games in the Cardinals' win over North Central last Thursday, while Josh Balsiger (Camas, Wash.) Johnluke Nahorski (Minnetonka, Minn.), Eli Szymanski (La Crosse, Wis.), and Armin Jasenac scored Saint Mary's other goals. … Jackson's two tallies vs. the Rams were the first two of his Saint Mary's career, while Jasenac's was also a collegiate first. … Saint Mary's has now had a player score two goals three times this season. Along with Jackson and Clements against North Central, Balsiger scored a pair of goals against Marian on Aug. 30. … Balsiger also chipped in a career-best three assists vs. North Central — marking the second time this season the Cardinals have had a player post a three-assist game. Zack Bracken (Osseo, Minn.) achieved the feat against Marian on Aug. 30. … Balsiger's five-point game against North Central last Thursday was not only a career-best, but also the highest individual total since Andrew Jaworski's five-point effort against Bethany Lutheran in 2014 — and was one point shy of the single-game school record. … Balsiger — who scored a single-season career-high seven goals a year ago — heads into Wednesday's nonconference game against Simpson leading the team in both goals (4) and points (11). … Clements is second two Balsiger with three goals, one more than both Jackson and Nahorski. … Bracken is the team's assist leader with four, one more than Balsiger. … Balsiger and Bracken have accounted for seven of the Cardinals' 11 assists this season. … Nahorski scored one of the Cardinals' five goals in their season-opening win over Marian on Aug. 30, and has now scored in the Cardinals' first game of the year in each of the last two seasons. … Clements scored the season's first goal at 7:00 of the first half against Marian on Aug. 30 — it was his first collegiate goal. … Sam Morris (Hockinson, Wash.) made his first collegiate start in goal against Gustavus last Saturday, finishing with four saves. … Morris finished with a career-high five saves in 45 minutes of relief in the Cardinals' 1-0 loss to Central-Iowa on Sept. 13. … Michael Maniak (Wisconsin Dells, Wis.) and Connor Petrich (Arden Hills, Minn.) combined on the shutout against North Central last Thursday, with Maniac making the lone save in the first half. … Jimmy Perreault (Batavia, Ill.) and Morris each made one save — Perreault's in the first half and Morris' in the second — in recording the combined shutout in the Cardinals' 2-0 win over Edgewood on Sept. 7. … The Cardinals did not allow Marian a single shot attempt in their other shutout win, a 5-0, season-opening victory on Aug. 30. … The Cardinals' four goalkeepers have combined to post a 1.17 goals-against-average and a .708 save percentage. … The Cardinals have scored six goals in the first half, while netting 10 after halftime. On the flip side, five of the seven goals allowed by the Cardinals have come in the second half. … With their 5-0 win over Marian on Aug. 30, the Cardinals have now won their season opener in each of their last five seasons. … The Cardinals' 5-0 win over Marian on Aug. 30 was their fourth straight win over the Sabres — all via shutout.
 
Scouting The Simpson Storm:
2019 Roster | 2019 Schedule | 2019 Statistics
• Wednesday's matchup against Saint Mary's is the first of four consecutive home games for the Storm, who have played their previous three contests on the road. … Wednesday's game against Saint Mary's is the third of four nonconference games against Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference foes. Simpson has already faced Gustavus (L, 6-1) and Bethel (W, 1-0), and still has Concordia on its slate. … Simpson enters Wednesday's nonconference game against Saint Mary's riding a four-game winning streak. After opening the season with three straight wins, the Storm suffered their lone loss — a 6-1 setback to Gustavus on Sept. 8 — before rattling off four more wins. … With last Saturday's win over Westminster, Simpson has now outscored its opponents 20-3 in its seven wins — including four by shutout. … Darius Doswell and Enrique Idehen each scored twice in the Storm's 7-2 win over Westminster last Saturday. It was the second time this season the Storm duo has each netted two goals in a game. … Doswell and Idehen share the team lead with five goals each, while also leading the team with 10 points. … Jordy Triana-Vasquez owns a team-high three assists, one more than Dominek Miyeng. … Doswell, Idehen, and Seth Bowman share the team lead with two game-winner goals each. … Jake Potretz has started all eight games in goal for the Storm, compiling a 0.95 goals-against-average and a .696 save percentage. … Potretz has stopped 16 of the 23 shots he's faced this season. … Simpson's seven goals against Westminster last Saturday were a season-high. … Simpson's 23 goals are tops in the American Rivers Conference, while their 18 assists rank second. … After posting shutouts in their firsts five wins, Simpson has allowed three goals in its last two contests.