• ANOTHER NAILBITER: The Cardinals — who got an OT game-winner from Genesis Capacio (Las Vegas, Nev.) to beat Gustavus 1-0 last Wednesday — picked up their second straight 1-0 victory three days later, as Jordyn Matthews (Seattle, Wash.) scored with 3:11 remaining in regulation as SMU beat Concordia.
• TOUGH TO BEAT: With their 1-0 win over Concordia last Saturday, Saint Mary's improved to 9-1-1 overall — it's the Cardinals' best start since opening the 1994 season 9-1-1. That 1994 team went on to finish 16-3-1, beating Gustavus in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament, before falling to UC-San Diego in the second round. … The Cardinals opened the 1988 and 1991 seasons 11-1-0 — the best 12-game starts in program history.
• CLOSE CALLS: The Cardinals' last six games have all been decided by one goal or less. SMU has beaten Carleton (1-0), St. Catherine (2-1), Gustavus (1-0), and Concordia (1-0), lost to UW-Stout (2-1), and tied Saint Benedict (0-0).
• TOP OF THE HEAP: The Cardinals will enter their Saturday matchup at Augsburg sitting in first place in the MIAC standings with a 4-0-1 overall record and 13 points. SMU is four points clear of St. Catherine (3-1-0), St. Scholastica (3-1-0), and Bethel (3-2-0), who are all tied for second with nine points.
:• NONE BETTER: As a team, the Cardinals lead all MIAC teams in goals (29), assists (21), points (79), and goals-against-average (0.22). Individually, Alexis Nguyen's (West Corvina, Calif.) 0.12 goals-against-average and .970 save percentage lead the league. Her 0.12 GAA ranks No. 2 in all of NCAA Division III and her .970 save percentage is No. 1 in the nation. … Matthews' 45 shot attempts are tops in the MIAC. She also shares the league lead in points (17) and is second in the MIAC in goals (7) and points (17), and Capacio is No. 2 in assists (4).
• CONFERENCE HONORS: With her three goals in SMU's 2-1 win over St. Catherine and 2-1 loss to UW-Stout, Matthews was named MIAC Athlete of the Week on Sept. 27. It was the second straight AOW honor for the Cardinals — Alexis Nguyen (West Corvina, Calif.) was named MIAC Athlete of the Week on Sept. 20, after stopping all six shots she faced in back-to-back shutouts against Carleton and Saint Benedict.
• ONE GOT PAST: St. Catherine's goal in the game's 72nd minute on Sept. 26 was the first allowed by the Cardinals this season — ending a span of 722:13 scoreless minutes. … UW-Stout's goal in the fourth minute the following day, meanwhile, marked the first time all season the Cardinals have not scored first.
• RED-HOT: Matthews has now scored four of the Cardinals' last five goals — two against St. Catherine on Sept. 26, one vs. UW-Stout on Sept. 27, and one against Concordia last Saturday.
• LEADER OF THE PACK: With her goal against Concordia last Saturday, Matthews pushed her team-leading goal total to seven, two more than Haddy Falkman (Waconia, Minn.), and three in front of Kassie Arriaga (Chula Vista, Calif.). … Capacio owns the team lead in assists with four — one more than Matthews, Falkman, and Kaley Manglitz (Onalaska, Wis.) — while Matthews and Falkman are the team-leaders in points with 17 and 15, respectively.
• DOUBLING UP: Saint Mary's has had six players score two goals in a game this season — a feat Matthews has achieved twice. Falkman and Elisia Jensen (Gig Harbor, Wash.) achieved the feat against Ripon on Sept. 12, while Matthews, Arriaga, Brooklyn McKinney (Thornton, Colo.), and Megan Trindle (Castle Rock, Colo.) all posted two-goal games against Martin Luther on Sept. 6. It was the first career two-goal game for Arriaga, McKinney, Trindle, Falkman, and Jensen.
• CAREER FIRSTS: The Cardinals have had five players score their first collegiate goals this season. Falkman and McKinney scored the Cardinals' two goals in their season-opening win over UW-Superior; Mikayla McCart (Council Bluffs, Iowa) tallied the game's only goal in SMU's win over Coe; and Trindle and Jenna Zimmer (Calgary, Alberta) tallied their first career goals in Monday's 11-0 win over Martin Luther.
• THE BRICK WALL: Nguyen — who stopped a career-high 10 shots in SMU's 2-1 win over St. Catherine on Sept.26 — posted her sixth shutout of the season against Concordia last Saturday, stopping both CC shots. … Nguyen has now stopped 32 of the 33 shots she's faced for a 0.12 goals-against-average and .970 save percentage.
• DOUBLE DIGITS: Saint Mary's 11-goal outburst in its 11-0 win over Martin Luther last Monday marked the first time since beating Northland 10-0 on Sept. 9, 2017 that the Cardinals scored 10 or more goals in a game. … SMU's 11 goals were the most since beating UW-Platteville 11-0 on Sept. 7, 1996 and just three goals shy of the school record, set in a 14-0 win over Saint Benedict on Oct. 22, 1986. … Saint Mary's has scored 10 or more goals in a game seven times in program history.
• TOTAL DOMINATION: The Cardinals hold a commanding 192-74 advantage in shots attempted through 11 games — including a 106-38 edge in shots on goal. Saint Mary's attempted a season-high 40 shots against Ripon on Sept. 12, while their 24 shots on goal against the Red Hawks were also a season high. … Matthews — who took a season-high 10 shots against Coe on Sept. 4 — leads the team with 45 shots, including 24 on goal.
• STRIKING FAST: Saint Mary's has scored at least one goal in the first half in seven of its 11 games this season. SMU has outscored its opponents 17-2 in the first half and 12-1 in the second.
• BACK-TO-BACK: With their 1-0 overtime win over Gustavus Wednesday, the Cardinals have now shut out Gustavus in each of the teams' last two meetings, having beaten GAC 3-0 on May 2, 2021.
• FIT TO BE TIED: With their 0-0, double-overtime tie against Saint Benedict on Sept. 18, the Cardinals and Bennies have now played to a draw in each of their last two meetings, having battled to a 1-1 deadlock a year ago.
• SNAPPED: The Cardinals' 2-1 win over St. Catherine on Sept. 26 put an end to a nine-game losing streak against the Wildcats, dating back to a 3-1 win on Oct. 15, 2011.
• NAILBITERS: With their 1-0 win over Carleton on Sept. 14, the Cardinals are now 2-0-1 in their last three meetings with the Knights — with all three games being decided by one goal or less. Along with their 1-0 win, SMU beat Carleton 3-2 in 2 overtimes in 2018, and battled to a 1-1, double-overtime draw in 2019.
• PERFECTION: With their 11-0 win over Martin Luther on Sept. 6, the Cardinals improved to 7-0-0 all-time against MLC and have outscored the Knights by a combined 45-5. |
• FOR THE RECORD: The Falcons enter Wednesday's nonconference game at Saint Mary's sporting a 5-6-1 overall record, and have played just one WIAC contest — a 4-2 loss to UW-La Crosse in their last action on Sept. 29.
• HOME SWEET HOME: UW-River Falls comes into its road contest against the Cardinals having played their last seven games on their home turf. The Falcons are 5-3-1 at home, while still searching for their first road victory, having gone 0-3-0 in their first three contests away from Ramer Soccer Stadium.
• MIAC FOES: Saint Mary's is the Falcons' fifth opponent from the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. UW-RF is winless against MIAC foes this season (0-3-1) and has been outscored by a combined 6-1. The Falcons have already faced Hamline (L, 4-0), Macalester (L, 1-0), Gustavus (L, 1-0), and St. Scholastica (T, 1-1).
• GOALS A PLENTY: The Falcons have scored 27 goals in their first 12 games, led by Madyson Shaw and Alexis Peterson with nine and eight goals, respectively. Kassidy Mackie has found the back of the net four times, while Allviah McClinton and Regan Schweitzer own two goals, and Alayna Westerman, Abby Tapanila, Haley James, Moya Murray, and Abigail Goodwin have all scored once.
• ASSISTING THE CAUSE: Peterson is the team-leader in assists with five, followed by Amber Krohn (4), Westerman (3), and Kaylee Walter (3).
• DOUBLE-DIGITS: UW-River Falls boasts three players who have amassed 10 or more points through 12 games — Peterson (21), Shew (20), and Mackie (10).
• BIG IN THE CLUTCH: Shew has scored three of the Falcons' five game-winning goals, with Mackie and James accounting for the other two.
• SAVING THE DAY: Goalkeeper Kaylie Krueger has made 49 saves in 10 appearances between the pipes for the Falcons, compiling a 0.94 goals-against-average and an .860 save percentage. … Grace Zellmer (1.74 GAA, .750 save %, 258:35) and Jolivia Gallegos (4.79 GAA, .667 save %, 56:25) have also seen time in goal for UW-River Falls.
• AS A TEAM: UW-River Falls has allowed just one goal in its five wins — outscoring its opponents 25-1 in those five contests. … The Falcons have netted six or more goals in a game three times — beating Northland (6-0), Martin Luther (7-0), and Finlandia (8-0). On the flip side, UW-RF has surrendered four goals in a game twice — losing to Hamline 4-0 and UW-La Crosse 4-2. …Â
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