By DONNY NADEAU
Saint Mary's Sports Information Director
 
DUBUQUE, Iowa — The Saint Mary's University men's soccer team hits the road for the first time this season on Wednesday, as the Cardinals travel to Loras for a 7 p.m. nonconference matchup against the Duhawks.
 
The Matchup:
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (1-0-0 Overall) at Loras Duhawks (1-0-1 Overall)
 
GameDay Live On The Web:
• Live Stats * Live Video
 
Last Action:
• Saint Mary's­­—August 30, 2019 * Winona, Minn.: The Cardinals got two goals from Josh Balsiger (Camas, Wash.) and three assists off the foot of Zack Bracken (Osseo, Minn.) en route to a 5-0, season-opening win over Marian at Ochrymowycz Field | Recap
• Loras—September 3, 2019 * Dubuque, Iowa: Benedictine scored with less than 12 minutes remaining in regulation, as the Duhawks were forced to settle for a 2-2 double-overtime deadlock with the Eagles at Rock Bowl | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. Loras — Their Last Meeting:
• September 19, 2018 * Winona, Minn.: Loras' Luke Denson scored off a corner kick just 1:49 into the second overtime period, lifting the Duhawks to a 1-0 win over the Cardinals at Ochrymowycz Field | Recap
  
Up Next:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals are back on the road on Saturday, heading to Madison, Wis., for a 5 p.m. nonconference showdown against Edgewood.
• Loras: The Duhawks return to Rock Bowl in Dubuque, Iowa, on Saturday, hosting St. Scholastica in a 3:30 p.m. nonconference contest.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2019 Roster | 2019 Schedule | 2019 Statistics
• Wednesday's game at Loras is the first of back-to-back road games for the Cardinals, who collected four of their six wins a year ago on the road — going 4-6-1 away from Ochrymowycz Field. … With their 5-0 win over Marian last Friday, the Cardinals have now won their season opener in each of their last five seasons. … Last Friday's 5-0 win over Marian was the Cardinals' fourth straight win over the Sabres — all via shutout. … Josh Balsiger (Camas, Wash.) scored twice in Saint Mary's 5-0 win over Marian last Friday — it was the senior's first collegiate two-goal game. … Balsiger — a 2018 honorable-mention All-MIAC selection — scored a single-season career high seven goals a year ago. … Zack Bracken (Osseo, Minn.) recorded his first collegiate multiple-point game, picking up assists on three of the Cardinals' five goals against Marian last Friday. … Jacob Clements (Holmen, Wis.), Johnluke Nahorski (Minnetonka, Minn.), and Cole Van Houten (Pine Island, Minn.) netted Saint Mary's other three goals against Marian last Friday. … Nahorski has now scored in the Cardinals' season opener in each of the last two seasons. … Clements scored the season's first goals at 7:00 of the first half against Marian last Friday — it was his first collegiate goal. … Michael Maniak (La Crosse, Wis.) was credited with the shutout in goal for the Cardinals against Marian last Friday — although the senior did not need to make a save. … The Cardinals did not allow Marian a single shot attempt in last Friday's 5-0 win. … Three of the Cardinals' five goals against Marian last Friday were scored in the first half. … Saint Mary's five goals against Marian last Friday were the most since scoring six goals in a season-opening 6-0 win over Crown on Sept. 1, 2017.
 
Scouting The Loras Duhawks:
2019 Roster | 2019 Schedule | 2019 Statistics
• The Duhawks enter Wednesday's matchup against Saint Mary's unbeaten in its first two games of the 2019 season — beating Knox 3-0, before battling Benedictine to a 2-2 double-overtime tie. … Loras scored all three of its goals in its 3-0 season-opening win over Knox in the second half, while the Duhawks scored once in each half against Benedict. … Wednesday's matchup against Saint Mary's is the third of five straight home games for the Duhawks, who closed out 2018 with a near-perfect 7-1-0 record at Rock Bowl. … After winning the program's 12th regular-season conference title, Loras reached the American Rivers Conference Tournament title game a year ago, falling to Luther 2-1. … Zeke Kyoore scored two of Loras' three goals in its season-opening 3-0 win over Knox, while Jose Melo netted the Duhawks' other goal. … Mark Histed scored one of the Duhawks' two goals vs. Benedictine Tuesday, with Loras' other tally an own goal. … Raudel Fierro and Leo Bellingeri have recorded Loras' two assists this season. … Jack Monson and Jesse Buffington have shared the goalkeeper duties early this season, with Monson making one save and allowing one goal in 90 minutes of work, while Buffington has also allowed one goal and stopped one shot in 110 minutes.