SAINT MARY’S CARDINALS

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2022: 2-0-2 Overall

MARTIN LUTHER KNIGHTS

Home | Roster | Stats | Schedule

2022: 1-1-0 Overall

LIVE ON THE WEB:

Live Stats * Streaming Video

SMU-MLC * LAST MEETING:

Sept. 6, 2021 * Winona, MN

W, 5-0 * Series History

SAINT MARY’S * LAST ACTION:

Sept. 7, 2022 * Winona, MN

Ripon * W, 3-1

MARTIN LUTHER * LAST ACTION:

Sept. 5, 2022 * New Ulm, MN

Viterbo * L, 4-0

SAINT MARY’S * UP NEXT:

Sept. 13, 2022 * Winona, MN

Carleton * 7 p.m.

MARTIN LUTHER * UP NEXT: 

Sept. 13, 2022 * Buena Vista, IA

Buena Vista * 7:30 p.m.

SAINT MARY’S CARDINALS SCOUTING REPORT:

• FOR THE RECORD: The Cardinals head into Saturday’s nonconference contest against Martin Luther sitting at 2-0-2 overall, having defeated Crown (2-1) and Ripon (3-1), while settling for ties against Aurora (1-1) and Rockford (2-2).

• LAST ACTION: For the second game in a row, the Cardinals jumped out to a 2-0 lead — scoring two goals a minute apart early in the first half — in rolling to a 3-1 win over Ripon Wednesday at Ochrymowycz Field

• STELLAR START: The Cardinals’ 2-0-2 start is their best since opening the 1986 season 4-0-1, and the third-best start in program history. The 1983 Saint Mary’s team went 13 games without a loss to open the season, going 11-0-2.

• TOTAL DOMINANCE: The Cardinals are a perfect 6-0 all-time against Martin Luther — and have yet to surrender a goal. Saint Mary’s has outscored Martin Luther 21-0 in its six meetings all-time.

• CLOSE CALLS: With its back-to-back ties against Aurora and Rockford last weekend, 15 of Saint Mary’s last 18 games have been decided by one goal or less.

• OFFENSIVE LEADERS: Jack Hurley (Homewood, Ill.) and Jacob Clements (Holmen, Wis.) each scored their team-leading second goal of the season against Ripon on Wednesday. Kyle Palmberg (Holmen, Wis.), Santiago Montero (Phoenix, Ariz.), and Rolando Lopez (Berwyn, Ill.) own SMU’s other three goals.

• CAREER FIRSTS: The Cardinals have had three players net their first collegiate goals this season — Montero tallied his first as a Cardinal against Crown on Sept. 1, Lopez netted his against Rockford on Sept. 4, and Palmberg scored his vs. Ripon last Wednesday.

• NEW PK KING: After eight straight penalty-kick goals recorded by graduated senior Eli Szymanski, Hurley’s second-half PK goal against Crown on Sept. 1 marked the first not scored by Szymanski since Zach Bracken converted on Oct. 23, 2019. Hurley added his second PK goal in as many tries against Ripon last Wednesday.

• BETWEEN THE PIPES: Daniel Sessler (Brookfield, Ill.) has started all four games in goal for the Cardinals, compiling a 0.82 goals-against-average and an .885 save percentage. The junior has made 23 saves in his four starts — including a season-high seven saves against both Aurora and Ripon.

• CAREER-HIGH: Sessler equaled his single-game career-high with 12 saves against Macalester on Oct. 26, 2021. He also recorded 12 saves in the team’s first meeting with UW-Eau Claire on Sept. 26, 2021. … Sessler reached double-digits in saves three times in 2021, adding a 10-save effort against Concordia on Oct. 2.

• STREAKING: With their 2-1 victory over Crown on Sept. 1, the Cardinals improved to 5-1-1 in their last seven season-openers, the lone blemish a 3-0 loss to the University of Dubuque a year ago, and a 1-1 tie with St. Olaf during the COVID-shortened 2020 season. 

• OWNERS OF THE FIRST HALF: The Cardinals hold a 5-1 scoring edge in the game’s opening half, while being outscored 4-3 in the second half. 

• DOMINATION: With their season-opening, 2-1 win over Crown on Sept. 1, SMU improved to 6-1-1 all-time against the Polars — including a 5-0-1 mark in the teams’ last six meetings.

• NEW THIS YEAR: The NCAA implemented a new rule beginning with the 2022 that will eliminate all overtimes in regular-season games. Games that are deadlocked following the scheduled 90 minute will go in the books as ties. Once in post-season, if a game is tied following regulation, there will be two, 10-minute overtime periods — with no golden goal — followed by a shootout if the game is still tied.

MARTIN LUTHER KNIGHTS SCOUTING REPORT:

• FOR THE RECORD: Martin Luther, coming off a 6-12 season in 2022, enters its nonconference game against Saint Mary’s on Saturday sitting at 1-1-0 on the year.

• LAST TIME OUT: Viterbo scored two goals 10 minutes apart midway through the first half, and matched that two-goal effort in the second half in rolling to a 4-0 nonconference win over the Knights last Monday in New Ulm, Minn.

• ENDING ON A HIGH NOTE: After opening the season 2-12-0, Martin Luther closed out the 2021 season winning each of its last four games — beating UM-Morris (2-1), Crown (6-3), North Central (4-0), and Northwestern (3-2).

• HOME SWEET HOME: Saturday’s game against Saint Mary’s is the second of back-to-back home games for the Knights, who picked up four of its six wins last season on their home field.

• AGAINST THE MIAC: Saint Mary’s is the first of two games against teams from the MIAC for the Knights, who also have Augsburg on their slate this season. MLC also played SMU and Augsburg a year ago, falling to the Cardinals 5-0 and dropping a 4-0 decision to the Auggies.

• ON THE OFFENSIVE: Zair Palacios and Nathan Pausma scored Martin Luther’s two goals in their season-opening 2-1 win over Maranatha Baptist on Sept. 1, with Xander Heiman collected the team’s lone assist. MLC’s 

• PLENTY OF FIREPOWER: Martin Luther returns four players who accounted for 27 of the team’s 32 goals a year ago. Lucas Martin led the team with 11 goals, three more than Heiman, while Clay Hirsch and Josiah Wordell each scored four times in 2021.

• BETWEEN THE PIPES: Adam Rosenbaum has played all 180:00 minutes in goal for the Knights, compiling a 2.50 goals-against-average and a .783 save percentage. Rosenbaum has made 18 saves in two games, including a season-high 14 saves against Viterbo last Monday. … Rosenbaum was one of three goalkeepers who saw playing time a year ago, posting a 3.61 GAA and .558 save percentage in nine appearances.

• BY THE NUMBERS: The Knights’ 2-1 victory over Maranatha Baptist on Sept. 1 was their first win to open the season since beating Lakeland 2-0 on Sept.4, 2021, snapping an 0-11-1 slide in season-openers. … Martin Luther scored just 10 goals in its 12 losses in 2021 — and was shut out six times. … After managing 21 goals in its first 14 games, MLC netted 15 goals in its season-ending four-game winning streak. … The Knights surrendered five or more goals in a game eight times a year ago, and allowed a season-high 12 goals in falling to Bethany Lutheran 12-1 on Oct. 12.