WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University women's soccer kicks off its 2012 season on Friday, as the Cardinals host Edgewood in a 7 p.m. nonconference game at Ochrymowycz Field.
The Matchup:
Saint Mary's Cardinals (2011 Final: 3-14-0 Overall)
vs. Edgewood Eagles (2011 Final: 14-5-1 Overall)
GameDay Live On The Web:
Video Preview | GameDay Program
Last Action:
Friday's game is the season-opener for both teams.
SMU vs. Edgewood — Their Last Meeting:
Tonight's nonconference contest is the first-ever meeting between the Cardinals and the Eagles.
Up Next:
The Cardinals hit the road on Sunday, traveling to Dubuque, Iowa, for a 4:30 p.m. nonconference showdown with Loras. … Edgewood, meanwhile, kicks off its home schedule on Sunday, hosting St. Norbert in a noon nonconference game in Madison, Wis.
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2012 Roster |
2011 Final Statistics |
2012 Schedule
Eight of the Cardinals' 17 games were decided by one goal — including six games that ended in 1-0 decisions. … Both of SMU's wins in 2011 were by 3-1 scores — the Cardinals beat Marian 3-1 on Sept. 11 and dropped St. Catherine 3-1 win on Oct. 15. … Five of SMU's eight goals in 2011 came in the first half. … The Cardinals' three goals in their 3-1 win vs. St. Catherine on Oct. 15 came from three different players —
Rachel Gates-Vickery,
Kelsey Schneider, and
Tessa Scanlon (Cologne, Minn.). The goals were the first of the season for all three, and the first of her collegiate career for Scanlon. …
Amanda Rahman finished with a team-leading three goals, while
Teri Valenzuela (Morton Grove, Ill.) was second with two goals. … Rahman's three goals last season were two shy of her single-season career high and gave the senior 12 goals in her four-year collegiate career. … Rahman also led the team in points with six, while Valenzuela was again second with five. … Goalkeeper
Miranda Halling (Rochester, Minn.) started nine of the team's 17 games, compiling a team-best 1.42 goals-against-average, while stopping 60 of the 73 shots she faced. … Halling picked up her first collegiate win in goal with a nine-save effort against Marian on Sept. 11. … SMU coach
Neil Cassidy earned his first win as the Cardinals' head coach with their 3-1 win over Marian on Sept. 11.
Scouting The Edgewood Eagles:
2012 Roster |
2011 Final Statistics |
2012 Schedule
The Eagles, who did not lose a home game in 2011, dropped a 1-0 overtime decision to Marian in the Northern Athletics Conference Tournament a year ago. … Elaine Gerry needs three points to become the Northern Athletics Conference's all-time leading scorer. She has 165 career points, trailing Jessica Axt, who graduated from MSOE last year with 167 career points. Gerry (75) also trails Axt (76) by one goal on the NAC's all-time goal scoring list. … Gerry is also chasing Julie Veloff for the all-time school records in goals and points. Veloff scored 104 goals and totaled 243 points from 1995-98. … Gerry was also a CapitalOne First Team Academic All-American last year. … Gerry and Kristina Santaga were both First-Team All-Northern Athletics Conference selections last season, while Gerry was also named to the NSCAA Third-Team All-Region team. Goalkeeper Kristi Frisch was honorable mention NAC in 2011. … Edgewood was seventh in the nation last year in scoring offense, averaging 3.95 goals per game. … Edgewood owns nine conference titles, but has not won one since the 2005 season as members of the Lake Michigan Conference. The Eagles last made the NCAA Tournament in 2008. The Eagles have been to the NCAA Tournament four times in their history (1999, 2000, 2001, 2008). … Edgewood coach Tim Alexander is one of only five coaches in the history of the NCAA (all divisions) to win both 200 men's soccer games and 200 women's soccer games. He has a total of 471 career wins (257 women, 214 men) and has a chance to reach 500 career wins this season. … Alexander is the only head men's (since 1990) and women's (since 1993) soccer coach in Edgewood's history.
