SAINT MARY’S CARDINALS

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2022 Final: 3-12-3 Overall

MARTIN LUTHER KNIGHTS

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2022 Final: 3-14-2 Overall

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SMU-MLC * LAST MEETING:

Sept. 10, 2022 * New Ulm, MN

W, 5-2 * Series History

SAINT MARY’S * LAST ACTION:

Oct. 29, 2022 * Duluth, Minn.

St. Scholastica * L, 5-0

MARTIN LUTHER * LAST ACTION:

Oct. 29, 2022 * New Ulm, Minn.

Northwestern * W, 1-0

SAINT MARY’S * UP NEXT:

Sept. 3, 2023 * Wauwatosa, WI

Wisconsin Lutheran * 1:00

Sept. 4, 2023 * Fond du Lac, WI

Marian * 6:00

MARTIN LUTHER * UP NEXT: 

Sept. 2, 2023 * Watertown, WI

Maranatha Baptist * 2:00

SAINT MARY’S CARDINALS SCOUTING REPORT:

• FOR THE RECORD: The Cardinals closed out the 2022 campaign sitting at 3-12-3 overall, while owning an 0-9-1 mark in conference play.

• POST-SEASON HONORS: Daniel Sessler (Brookfield, Ill.) was named honorable-mention All-MIAC a year ago, after leading the league in saves with 119.

• HOME SWEET HOME: SMU picked up two of its three wins on its home field in 2022. The Cardinals were 2-8-0 at home, while going 1-4-3 away from Ochrymowycz Field.

• CLOSE CALLS: Twenty-two of the Cardinals’ last 31 games have been decided by one goal or less — including nine of SMU’s 17 games in 2022.

• FIT TO BE TIED: The Cardinals’ three ties last season — including a 0-0 deadlock against Concordia on Oct. 1 — are the most since the 2015 season, when Saint Mary’s finished the year with three ties en route to a 6-9-3 overall record.

• OFFENSIVE LEADERS: Jacob Clements (Holmen, Wis.), Jack Hurley (Homewood, Ill.) and Cerim Palislamovic (Jacksonville, Fla.) closed out the year tied atop the team lead in goals with three. Rolando Lopez (Berwyn, Ill.) added a pair of goals, while Garrett Jackson (West Linn, Ore.), Kyle Palmberg (Holmen, Wis.), Santiago Montero (Phoenix, Ariz.), and Nathan Riess (Timnath, Colo.) own SMU’s other four goals.

• LENDING A HAND: Palislamovic picked up assists on both SMU goals against Hamline on Oct. 22 to grab the top spot in assists, while Clements, Jackson, Cohan Hare (New Richmond, Wis.), Alex Keeler (Antioch, Ill.), Marshall Briggs (Phoenix, Ariz.), and Liam Boyle (Westchester, Ill.) all own one assist on the year.

• POINT PRODUCER: Palislamovic led the Cardinals in points with eight (3 G, 2 A), one more than Clements (3 G, 1 A) and two in front of Hurley (3 G, 0 A). 

• CAREER FIRSTS: The Cardinals had four players net their first collegiate goals in 2022 — Montero tallied his first as a Cardinal against Crown on Sept. 1; Lopez netted his against Rockford on Sept. 4; Palmberg scored his vs. Ripon on Sept. 7; and Nathan Riess (Timnath, Colo.) collected goal No. 1 against Martin Luther on Sept. 10.

• CAREER FIRST, PART II: Palislamovic’s two goals against Martin Luther on Sept. 10 marked the first time in his collegiate career that the sophomore scored two goals in a game, while he recorded his first multiple-assist game with his two helpers against Hamline last Saturday.

• PLENTY OF PKs: The Cardinals went 4-for-5 in penalty kicks in 2022. Hurley accounted for three of SMU’s four PK goals, while Palislamovic owned the other. … Saint Mary’s two PK goals against Martin Luther on Sept. 10 were the most in a game since Eli Szymanski scored two penalty-kick goals against Edgewood on Sept. 9, 2021. … The last time the Cardinals scored more than four PKs in a season was 2007, when they went 7-for-8. …Hurley’s four PK goals rank second in program history, one shy of Eli Szymanski’s five PKs in 2021.

• BETWEEN THE PIPES: Daniel Sessler (Brookfield, Ill.) started 16 of the team’s 18 games in goal for the Cardinals, compiling a 1.96 goals-against-average and a .793 save percentage. The junior made 119 saves in 17 total appearances — tops in the MIAC. … Jake Wing (Verona, Wis.) appeared in four games in goal (136:05 minutes), stopping 11 of the 21 shots he faced, while Connor Petrich (Arden Hills, Minn.) played in three games (62:33 minutes), stopping one of the three shots he’s faced.

• SHUTTING THEM OUT: Sessler’s 12-save shutout against Concordia on Oct. 1 was his lone shutout of the season and the third of his three-year collegiate career.

• BUSY NIGHTS: Sessler made 10 or more saves four times in 2022, including equaling his career-high of 12 saves three times. … Sessler has stopped 12 shots in a game four times over his collegiate career. 

• AS A TEAM: The Cardinals scored 16 goals in 18 games, while attempting 155 shots, including 71 on goal. On the flip side, SMU’s opponents attempted 342 shots, with 176 finding the mark. … The Cardinals were outscored 22-11 in the game’s opening half, while being outscored 21-5 in the second half. 

• SCORELESS TUSSLE: SMU’s 0-0 tie against Concordia on Oct. 1 was its first 0-0 outcome since battling Saint John’s to a scoreless draw on April 21, 2021.

• STREAK SNAPPER: Saint Mary’s 3-0 loss to Carleton on Sept. 13 snapped the Cardinals’ season-opening five-game unbeaten streak (3-0-2) — SMU’s longest unbeaten run since rattling off six straight wins during the 1997 season.

• STRONG START: The Cardinals’ 3-0-2 start was 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.

• OFF AND RUNNING: 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. 

• GOOD KNIGHT: Saint Mary’s five-goal effort against Martin Luther on Sept. 10 was a season-high, and the most goals scored in a game since netting five against the Knights in last season’s 5-0 victory.

• TOTAL DOMINATION: With their 5-2 win on Sept. 10, the Cardinals are now a perfect 7-0-0 all-time against Martin Luther, and have outscored the Knights 26-2 in those seven meetings.

• TOTAL DOMINATION II: 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.

MARTIN LUTHER KNIGHTS SCOUTING REPORT:

• FOR THE RECORD: The Knights head into their season-opening road matchup against Saint Mary’s on the heels of a 3-14-2 showing a year ago, including a 2-11-1 in UMAC play.

• STRONG FINISH: Martin Luther closed out the 2022 campaign on a high note, racking up back-to-back wins over North Central (2-1) and Northwestern (1-0).

• STREAK-SNAPPER: The Knights’ 2-1 win over North Central on Oct. 26, 2022 snapped their season-high 14-game winless streak (0-12-2). Prior to that late-October victory over the Rams, Martin Luther had not won since opening the season with a 2-1 victory over Maranatha Baptist.

• NAILBITERS: Nine of Martin Luther’s 19 games a year ago were decided by one goal or less — including all three of its victories. MLC finished the year 3-4-2 in one-goal games in 2022.

• OFFENSIVE LEADER: Nathan Pausma closed out the 2022 season as the team leader with five goals, one more than Xander Heiman. Joel Schewe and Johannes Bourman each chipped in two goals, while Noah Kvidt, Lucas Martin, and Zair Palacios accounted for the other three. … Pausma scored two of his team-leading five goals in a 5-2 loss to Saint Mary’s last season.

• LENDING A HELPING HAND: Martin Luther’s 13 assists a year ago came from seven different players, led by Heiman with four. Schewe was second on the squad with three helpers, followed by Kvidt (2), Josiah Wordell (2), Martin (1), and Caleb Hengst (1). … Schewe delivered a team-best two assists against North Central on Oct. 26.

• POINT PRODUCTION: The Knights closed out the 2022 season boasting two players who finished in double figures in points — Heiman led the way with 12, two more than Pausma. Schewe was third on the team with seven points, while Kvidt and Bourman each had four.

• BETWEEN THE PIPES: Adam Rosenbaum played every minute of every game in goal for the Knights, compiling a 3.32 goals-against-average and a .688 save percentage. … Rosenbaum finished the year with 139 saves and posted two shutouts — a seven-save effort against UM-Morris on Oct. 20 and a four-save showing vs. Northwestern on Oct. 29. … Rosenbaum recorded a season-high 15 saves against Northwestern on Sept. 29.

• CRUNCHING THE NUMBERS: Martin Luther scored 16 goals in 19 games last season (0.84 gpg), while the Knights’ opponents found the back of the net 63 times (3.32 gpg). … Martin Luther racked up season-highs in goals (2), assists (3) and points (7) in its 2-1 win over North Central on Oct. 26. … MLC attempted a season-best 20 shots against Maranatha Baptist on Sept. 3, and notched a season-best nine shots on goal three times. … Martin Luther scored a season-high two goals in a game four times, while on the flip side, the Knights surrendered a season-high 11 goals in an 11-0 loss to Augsburg on Sept. 20.