WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University men's soccer team returns to action on Saturday, as the Cardinals — off for the past week — entertain Bethel in a 3 p.m. MIAC showdown against Bethel.



The Matchup:
Saint Mary's Cardinals (0-2-0 MIAC | 1-4-1 Overall)
vs. Bethel Royals (1-1-0 MIAC | 5-1-1 Overall)

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Last Action:
The Cardinals have been off since last Saturday, when St. Olaf scored the game's only goal 14 minutes into the second half, as the Oles handed SMU a 1-0 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference setback at Ochrymowycz Field. … Bethel, meanwhile, has also been off since last Saturday, when the Royals evened their conference record at 1-1 with a 1-0 victory over Hamline in St. Paul, Minn.

SMU vs. Bethel — Their Last Meeting:
September 14, 2010: The Cardinals matched Bethel in virtually every category during the teams' conference showdown a year ago in Arden Hills, Minn. Unfortunately, every category except the most important one, that is, as the Royals raced out to an early lead and never looked back in handing SMU a 3-1 setback.

Up Next:
The Cardinals remain at home on Tuesday, hosting Gustavus in a 7 p.m. conference tilt at Ochrymowycz Field. … Bethel, meanwhile, steps out of conference play on Monday, hosting Northwestern (Minn.) in a 3 p.m. nonconference game at Ona Orth Athletic Complex in Arden Hills, Minn.

Saint Mary's Cardinals News and Notes:
2011 Roster | 2011 Overall Statistics | 2011 Schedule
Saturday's game vs. Bethel is the second of three straight home games for the Cardinals. … All six of the Cardinals' games this season have been decided by one goal or less. … SMU goalkeeper Chris Williams (Chicago, Ill.) — who recorded his first two collegiate shutouts in blanking North Central (Minn.) on Sept. 6 and Grinnell on Sept. 11 en route to MIAC Player of the Week honors — made six saves vs. St. Olaf Saturday. Williams' six saves were the most since opening the season with an eight-save effort against Lake Forest. … Williams have played every minute of the Cardinals' six games in goal, compiling a 1.24 goals-against-average, while making 25 saves. … Juamaine Venter (Rochester, Minn.) scored the Cardinals' goal vs. St. Thomas on Sept. 14 — it was his team-leading second of the season and 10th of his collegiate career. … Each of the Cardinals' last two goals has come off a corner kick. Jacob Bina (West Salem, Wis.) converted a corner by Mark Thompson (Madison, Wis.) in SMU's 1-0 win over Grinnell on Sept. 10, while Venter scored off Kameron McKeeth's (Woodstock, Ga.) first-half corner vs. St. Thomas on Sept. 14. … Venter enters Saturday's game vs. Bethel as the team-leader in goals (2) and points (4), while Thompson owns a team-best two assists. … SMU's 1-0 victory over Grinnell on Sept. 10 was not only its first win of the season, but also the first win for Pete Watkins as the Cardinals' head coach. … SMU's 1-0 win over Grinnell was also its first victory by shutout since the Cardinals blanked Lakeland 1-0 on Sept. 5, 2010. … The Cardinals' 0-0, double-overtime tie against North Central (Minn.) on Sept. 6, meanwhile, was their first scoreless draw since tying St. Thomas 0-0 on Oct. 16, 2004. … SMU has already played more overtime games this year (2) than it did all of last year (1). … The Cardinals have scored four of their five goals in the first half. … Despite their double-OT loss to Lake Forest on Sept. 1, the Cardinals are 4-2-5 in their last 11 overtime games.

Bethel Royals News and Notes:
2011 Roster | 2011 Overall Statistics | 2011 Schedule
The Royals had their season-opening five-game unbeaten streak (4-0-1) snapped with a 7-1 loss to Augsburg on Sept. 14. Bethel rebounded from the drubbing with a 1-0 win over Hamline last Saturday. … Bethel has outscored its opponents 11-2 in its five wins, while being outscored 7-1 in its lone loss. … The Royals have played two overtime games this season, both going into the second 10-minute overtime period — a 2-1 win over Bethany Lutheran on Sept. 3, and a 2-2 tie vs. Whitman on Sept. 10. … Jeremy Tan scored the Royals' lone goal in their 1-0 victory over Hamline last Saturday. … David Kim has scored half of the Royals' goals this season, finding the back of the net seven times in seven games. … Nate Manthey is the team's assist leader with two, while Kim's 14 points are also a team high. … Chris Scott and Leif Sundberg have shared the goalkeeping duties, with the duo combining for a 1.47 goals-against-average, while stopping 35 of the 46 shots they've faced. … Bethel has scored nine of its 14 goals in the first half. … The Royals are unbeaten (4-0-0) on the road this season, after going winless (0-7-1) away from Ana Orth Athletic Complex a year ago.