By DONNY NADEAU
Saint Mary's Sports Information Director
 
WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University women's soccer team returns to conference play on Saturday, as the Cardinals entertain Augsburg in a 3:30 p.m. MIAC contest at Ochrymowycz Field
 
The Matchup:
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (0-2-0 MIAC, 5-2-0 Overall) vs. Augsburg Auggies (1-0-0 MIAC, 5-2-0 Overall)
 
GameDay Live On The Web:
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Last Action:
• Saint Mary's — September 25, 2019 * Winona, Minn.: After back-to-back heartbreaking 2-1 setbacks, the Cardinals got back on the winning track, netting a pair of second-half goals in beating UW-Stout 2-0 in a nonconference matchup at Ochrymowycz Field | Recap
• Augsburg — September 25, 2019 * St. Paul, Minn.: Ashley St. Aubin scored the game's only goal in the 13th minute, as the Auggies downed St. Thomas 1-0 in a conference showdown at Edor Nelson Field | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. Augsburg — Their Last Meeting:
• September 22, 2018 * Winona, Minn.: Ashley St. Aubin scored twice — the second as part of a three-goal outburst in a three-minute span — in leading Augsburg to a 6-0 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference win over the Cardinals at Ochrymowycz Field | Recap
  
Up Next:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals are back in conference play on Wednesday, heading to Rolf Melby Field in Northfield, Minn., for a 4 p.m. matchup against St. Olaf.
• Augsburg: The Auggies return home to Edor Nelson Field in Minneapolis, Minn., on Wednesday, squaring off against Gustavus in a 7:30 p.m. conference tilt.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2019 Roster | 2019 Schedule | 2019 Statistics
• Saturday's game against Augsburg marks the fourth time in the last five games that the Cardinals have played on their home turf — Saint Mary's is 3-1-0 at Ochrymowycz Field this season. … With their 2-0 victory over UW-Stout on Wednesday, the Cardinals have recorded shutouts in four of their five wins this season. … Wednesday's win also snapped Saint Mary's two game-losing streak. … 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. … Kassie Arriaga (Chula Vista, Calif.) and Jordyn Matthews (Seattle, Wash.) netted the Cardinals' second-half goals in Wednesday's 2-0 win over UW-Stout. … Arriaga has now scored in two of the Cardinals' last three games. … Matthews heads into Saturday's game against Augsburg leading the Cardinals in goals with seven, while Arriaga, Thompson and Mary Loy (Burien, Wash.) are all second with two each. Melina Rodriguez (Des Moines, Iowa), and Kendall Archer (Draper, Utah) have netted the team's other two goals. … Matthews also leads the team in both assists (3) and points (17). … Matthews has already posted two, two-goal games this season — vs. Marian on Sept. 6 and Ripon on Sept. 8. … 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. … 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 on Sept. 14. … 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 0.71 goals-against-average and .792 save percentage. … Pederson picked up her fourth shutout of the season — and 11^th of her collegiate career — with a three-save effort against UW-Stout Wednesday. … Saint Mary's has scored 10 of its 15 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. … 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 Augsburg Auggies:
2019 Roster | 2019 Schedule | 2019 Statistics
• With Wednesday's 1-0 win over No. 12 St. Thomas, the Auggies head into Saturday's matchup against Saint Mary's having won three of their last four ­— the lone exception, a 2-1 loss to St. Scholastica on Sept. 22. … Augsburg's 1-0 win over St. Thomas marked the second time this season the Auggies have beaten a team ranked in the United Soccer Coaches national poll — having beaten then-No. 19 Loras 4-2 on Sept. 15. … Ashley St. Aubin scored her team-leading ninth goal in the 13th minute to account for the only scoring in Augsburg's win over 12th-ranked St. Thomas Wednesday. … St. Aubin's goal against St. Thomas Wednesday extended her goal-scoring streak to 10 consecutive games. During her 10-game run, St. Aubin has scored 12 goals and added four assists for 28 points. The senior's current streak is her second-longest, one-game shy of the 11-game scoring run she had a year ago. … St. Aubin enters Saturday's game against Saint Mary's as the team-leader in both goals (9) and points (20). … Augsburg's career scoring leader, St. Aubin now has 62 career goals, 24 career assists, and 148 career points (24 assists) in 69 games. She has scored at least one goal in 47 games in her career, and the Auggies are now 42-4-1 when she scores. … St. Aubin has netted the game-winning goal in four of the Auggies' five wins. … Gabriela Encarnacion is second to St. Aubin with four goals, while Kennedy Pounds is third with two. … Encarnacion owns a team-best three assists, one more than St. Aubin and Niki Ryan. … Emily Chapman has started all seven games in goal for the Auggies, compiling a 1.48 goals-against-average and a .773 save percentage. … Chapman has stopped 34 of the 44 shots she's faced. … The Auggies have scored 19 goals this season — 14 of which have come in the first half. Augsburg's opponents, meanwhile, have netted six of their 10 goals in the game's opening 45 minutes. … With Wednesday's 1-0 win over St. Thomas, Augsburg improved to 3-0-0 on their home turf — the Auggies are 2-2-0 away from Edor Nelson Field.