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 Wednesday, as the Cardinals step out of conference play for a 7 p.m. matchup against UW-Stout.
 
The Matchup:
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (4-2-0 Overall) vs. UW-Stout Blue Devils (2-4-0 Overall)
 
GameDay Live On The Web:
• Live Stats * Live Video
 
Last Action:
• Saint Mary's — September 21, 2019 * St. Peter, Minn.: Gustavus scored with less than three minutes remaining in regulation, as the Gusties dealt the Cardinals' their second conference setback — and second straight 2-1 loss — at Gustie Soccer Field | Recap
• UW-Stout — September 21, 2019 * Mount Vernon, Iowa: Ariel Kuchta recorded a goal and an assist, as the Blue Devils outlasted Cornell 3-2 in a nonconference game | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. UW-Stout — Their Last Meeting:
• September 5, 2018 * Winona, Minn.: Saint Mary's scored a pair of second half goals — one off the foot of Kassie Arriaga (Chula Vista, Calif.) and the other from Maura Michener (Winona, Minn.) — as the Cardinals rallied from a 1-0 deficit to beat the Blue Devils 2-1 in a nonconference game at Ochrymowycz Field | Recap
  
Up Next:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals return to Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play on Saturday, hosting Augsburg in a 3:30 p.m. matchup at Ochrymowycz Field.
• UW-Stout: The Blue Devils are back on the road on Tuesday, heading to Superior, Wis., for a 7 p.m. showdown against UW-Superior.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2019 Roster | 2019 Schedule | 2019 Statistics
• Wednesday's game against UW-Stout marks the third time in the last four games that the Cardinals have played on their home turf — Saint Mary's is 2-1-0 at Ochrymowycz Field this season. … The Cardinals' 2-1 win over UW-Stout last season snapped their five-game losing streak against the Blue Devils. … Both of the Cardinals' losses this season have been by 2-1 decisions — with both being decided with a goal in the final three minutes of regulation. … 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. … Nicole Thompson (Riverside, Calif.) scored the Cardinals' goal in last Saturday's 2-1 loss to Gustavus, while Kassie Arriaga (Chula Vista, Calif.) accounted for Saint Mary's goal in its 2-1 loss to St. Catherine four days earlier. … 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. … Jordyn Matthews (Seattle, Wash.) heads into Wednesday's game against UW-Stout leading the Cardinals in goals with six, four more than both Thompson and Mary Loy (Burien, Wash.). Arriaga, Rodriguez, and Kendall Archer (Draper, Utah) have netted the team's other three goals. … Matthews also leads the team in both assists (2) and points (14). … 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. … 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.), 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 0.83 goals-against-average and .762 save percentage. … 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 recorded 10 shutouts in her collegiate career. … Saint Mary's has scored eight of its 13 goals in the second half, while three of the five goals the Cardinals have allowed have also been scored after halftime. … 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. … The St. Catherine's goal in the 23rd minute on Sept. 17 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. … 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 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-Stout Blue Devils:
2019 Roster | 2019 Schedule | 2019 Statistics
• Wednesday's game against Saint Mary's is the seventh straight road game for the Blue Devils. In fact, due to renovations, UW-Stout will play every game on the road this season — including "home" games that will be played at UW-Eau Claire and UW-River Falls. … Saint Mary's is the fifth of six nonconference games against teams from the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference for the Blue Devils — who have already faced (St. Catherine (L, 7-0), St. Olaf (L, 3-1), Bethel (L, 1-0), Carleton (L, 5-0), and still have Hamline on their schedule. … Last Saturday's 3-2 win over Cornell snapped UW-Stout's three-game losing streak. … Three of UW-Stout's four losses have been by shutout, the lone exception, a 3-1 loss to St. Olaf on Sept. 5. … Ariel Kuchta and Hannah Kirchner share the team lead in goals with two each, while Rachel Washington, Marissa Steele, and Rachel Younker have accounted for the other three. … Washington owns a team-best two assists, and Kuchta leads the Blue Devils in points with five, one more than both Kirchner and Washington. … Kirchner and Steele have netted the team's two game-winning goals. … Claudia Anderson has started five of the team's six games in goal, compiling a 3.35 goals-against-average and an .800 save percentage. … Anderson has stopped 60 of the 75 shots she's faced. … Erica Seitz (2 GP, 2.46 GAA, .667 save %) and Rachel Nowak (1 GP, 3.23 GAA, .800 save %) have also seen time between the pipes for the Blue Devils. … UW-Stout has scored four of its seven goals in the first half, while the Blue Devils' opponents have netted 11 of their 19 games after halftime.