WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University men's soccer team plays host to its second nonconference opponent Tuesday evening, as the Cardinals entertain Crown in a 7 p.m. contest at Ochrymowycz Field.
Records: Saint Mary's (1-0-0 Overall) / Crown (0-1-0 Overall)
Last Action: The Cardinals got their season off on the right foot Saturday, getting a goal from Jovenel D'Haiti (Evanston, Ill.) with five minutes remaining in regulation to lift SMU to a 1-0 nonconference win over Martin Luther. Crown, meanwhile, has been off since last Tuesday, when the Storm opened their season with a 2-0 loss to Bethel.
Last Meeting: Today's game is the first-ever between the Cardinals and the Storm.
SMU Cardinal Notes: With their 1-0 win Saturday, the Cardinals have now won their last three contests — SMU closed out the 2008 season with back-to-back wins. All three wins have been decided by one goal. … Jovenel D'Haiti (Evanston, Ill.) scored the game's only goal Saturday. It was his fifth career goal, having scored twice in each of his first two seasons at SMU. … Jon Szafranski (Barrington, Ill.) stopped both shots he faced Saturday to earn his fifth career shutout. Szafranski had two shutouts a year ago, when he equaled the school record for saves in a season with 152. Szafranski also entered his senior season as the school's all-time saves leader with 302. … Saturday's game vs. Martin Luther was the first-ever night game played at SMU's Ochrymowycz Field. Today's game is the second straight home game for the Cardinals, who hit the road on Saturday, traveling to DePere, Wis., for a nonconference contest against St. Norbert. SMU kicks off its Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference season on Sept. 15 at home against Bethel.
Crown Storm Notes: The Storm were held to just three shots on goal in their season-opening loss to Bethel. … Today's game marks the second straight contest against a Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference opponent for Crown. … John Loeffler finished with 10 saves against the Royals last Tuesday. Loeffler played in just two games a year ago, stopped 14 of 19 shots in posting a 4.15 goals-against-average and a .737 save percentage. … Crown returns its top three scorers from a year ago, when the Storm finished 7-11-0. Jon Schultz boasted team highs in goals (6) and points (14), while Mark Matson returns after scoring four goals and posting eight points a year ago. … Crown was outscored 38-25 in 2008 — including 24-11 in the second half. … The Storm played two overtime games a year ago, going 1-1-0 in those two games. Today's game is the first of three straight road games for the Storm, who went 4-5-0 away from home a year ago.
