WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota women's soccer team closes out its 2014 schedule at home on Saturday, as the Cardinals host Macalester in a 1:45 p.m. Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference game at Ochrymowycz Field.
 
The Matchup:
Saint Mary's Cardinals (0-9-1 MIAC, 5-11-1 Overall) vs. Macalester Scots (4-5-1 MIAC | 8-8-1 Overall)
 
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Last Action:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals first-half Achilles' heel—and the Pipers' propensity for first-half offensive successes—played out once again, as Hamline scored twice in the first half and never relinquished the lead in handing Saint Mary's a 2-0 conference setback at Paterson Field Wednesday in St. Paul, Minn. | Recap
• Macalester: The Scots' drive to the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference playoffs hit a speed bump on Wednesday, as Concordia deals Macalester a 1-0 setback in St. Paul, Minn. | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. Macalester—Their Last Meeting:
• October 30, 2013: If Saint Mary's was looking to find a scapegoat for Macalester's sour mood, Concordia would certainly fit the bill. The Cobbers knocked the Scots out of first place in the conference standings with a 1-0 overtime win—and forced Macalester into a must-win situation when they hosted Saint Mary's for its regular-season finale in St. Paul, Minn. And the Scots took out their frustrations on the Cardinals — scoring just three minutes into the opening half and never looking back in handing Saint Mary's a 6-0 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference setback | Recap
 
Up Next:
• Saint Mary's: Saturday's game against Macalester is the season finale for the Cardinals.
• Macalester: The Scots are one of four teams mathematically in the hunt for the sixth and final playoff berth heading into Saturday's regular-season finale.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2014 Roster | 2014 Schedule | 2014 Statistics
Saturday's game against Macalester is not on the season finale for the Cardinals, but also the final collegiate game for senior goalkeeper Miranda Halling (Rochester, Minn.). … Wednesday's 2-0 loss to Hamline was the Cardinals' second-straight 2-0 setback. … Six of Saint Mary's last nine games have been decided by one goal or less. … Saint Mary's last four games have all been decided by shutout. … The Cardinals' 1-0 win over UW-La Crosse on Oct. 22 was their final nonconference game of the season. Saint Mary's finished 5-2-0 in its seven non-MIAC contests this year. … The Cardinals' 1-0 win over UW-La Crosse on Oct. 22 improved Saint Mary's to 3-1-1 in its five overtime games this season. … The Cardinals' tie against Gustavus on Oct. 1 was their first deadlock since October 2, 2010, when Saint Mary's tied Concordia 0-0. … Emily Loof (Colorado Springs, Colo.) recorded her team-leading 12th goal of the season against UW-La Crosse on Oct. 22. Loof's tally 11 seconds into overtime was also her team-leading third game-winning goal. … Caroline Blackwood (Norwalk, Va.) picked up the assist on Loof's goal vs. UW-La Crosse and has now assisted on each of the Cardinals' last three goals. … Loof—who recorded two goals against Gustavus on Oct. 1 for her fourth multiple-goal game of the season—also leads the team with 26 points, while Blackwood is the team's assist leader with five. … Blackwood's two-assist performance against St. Olaf on Oct. 14 was the first multiple-assist game of her collegiate career. … Emma Schaefer (Falcon Heights, Minn.) is second to Loof in both goals (6) and points (15). … Loof's 26 points are the most since Amy Sibik finished with 29 (12 goals, 5 assists) during the 2010 season. … Loof and Schaefer have combined to score 18 of the team's 27 goals this season. … Loof notched her first collegiate hat trick against Bethany Lutheran on Sept. 23. The freshman became the second player this season to net three goals in a game—Schaefer scored three times against UW-Superior on Sept. 6. … The three-goal efforts by Loof and Schaefer are the most in a game since Amy Sibik netted four goals against Ripon on Sept. 4, 2010. They also mark the first time Saint Mary's has had two games where an individual has scored three or more goals since Sibik scored four goals against UW-Superior and three goals against Simpson during the 2009 season. … Bridgett Leverich (Oswego, Ill.), Anna Taylor (St. Paul, Minn.) and Jesse Cwik (Chicago, Ill.) have all netted their first collegiate goals to account for the Cardinals' other three goals. … The Cardinals have converted all four of their penalty kicks this season—Schaefer scored on a PK vs. Buena Vista on Oct. 7 and vs. UW-Superior on Sept. 6, and Loof added PK goals against Carleton on Sept. 20 and Concordia on Oct. 3. … Miranda Halling (Rochester, Minn.), who made a season-high 10 saves against Concordia on Oct. 3, notched the second shutout of the season—and her collegiate career—with her three-save effort vs. UW-La Crosse on Oct. 22. Halling recorded her first collegiate shutout against UW-Superior on Sept. 6. … Victoria Perez (Upland, Calif.) collected her first collegiate win in goal against Buena Vista on Oct. 7, stopping three of the four shots she faced. … Halling enters Saturday's conference finale vs. Macalester boasting a 2.04 goals-against-average and a .699 save percentage, while Perez owns a 2.10 GAA and a .682 save percentage. … Halling has stopped a team-high 51 shots this season. … Saint Mary's seven-goal outburst vs. Bethany Lutheran on Sept. 23 marked the second time this season the Cardinals have netted seven goals in a game. Saint Mary's also tallied seven goals in a 7-0 win over UW-Superior on Sept. 6. … The Cardinals' seven goals against Bethany Lutheran and UW-Superior were the most since Saint Mary's posted back-to-back 7-0 victories over Ripon and Lakeland on Sept. 4-5, 2010. … Saint Mary's has scored 14 goals in the first half, and 13 after halftime. On the flip side, the Cardinals' opponents have scored 23 of their 36 goals in the game's opening 45 minutes.
 
Scouting The Macalester Scots:
2014 Roster | 2014 Schedule | 2014 Statistics
Macalester heads into Saturday's regular-season finale needing a win against Saint Mary's—and losses by Bethel to St. Catherine and St. Olaf to Carleton—in order to grab the sixth and final MIAC playoff spot. … Wednesday's loss to Concordia marked the fourth time this season the Scots have been shut out—three of those four losses were by 1-0 margins. … Seven of Macalester's eight wins this season have been by one goal—the lone exception, last Saturday's 2-0 victory over St. Catherine. … Fourteen of the Scots' 17 games have been decided by one goal or less. … Macalester has played five overtime games this season, going 3-1-1. … Bonnie Gale enters Saturday's game at Saint Mary's leading the team in goals (4) and points (9). … Margaret Nemetz  is the team-leader in assists (4) and is one of four Scots who are second to Gale in points with six. … Macalester's 19 goals have come from 11 different players. … Emma Toomer has appeared in all 17 games in goal, compiling a 1.14 goals-against-average and a .782 save percentage. … Toomer has 68 saves and boasts four shutouts. … Six of Macalester's eight wins have come at home. The Scots are 2-3-1 on the road this season.