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Cardinal Roster
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Cardinal Statistics
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Cardinal Schedule
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MIAC Standings
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MIAC Statistics
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| 2006-2007 Final Records: 9-7-2 MIAC, 9-15-3 Overall |
| Last Week's Results MIAC Playoffs Hamline 4, Saint Mary's 2 / Details |
| Cardinal News and Notes: SMU made its seventh straight MIAC playoff appearance this season. The Cardinals are just one of two teams (Gustavus is the other) to have appeared in all seven MIAC playoffs. … The Cardinals' regular season-ending win over St. Thomas snapped SMU's eight-game losing streak vs. the Tommies. The win was SMU's first since a 3-2, 4-3 Cardinal regular-season sweep on Feb. 21-22, 2003. … The win was also the first time in their four years that SMU's 10 graduating seniors have beaten UST. … Playing in what became their final collegiate game, seniors Melissa Mondo (Vadnais Heights, Minn.), Rachel Harrison (Madison, Wis.) and Laura Mueller (St. Paul, Minn.) had a hand in both Cardinal goals vs. Hamline — Mondo scored both, while Harrison and Mueller had the assists. … The Cardinals gave up one seocnd-period goal to the Pipers in their season finale, and were outscored 28-11 in the game’s middle period. … With her two goals vs. the Pipers, Mondo ended the year as the team's leader in all three offensive categories — goals (15), assists (11) and points (26). … Mondo closed out her career No. 3 in SMU history in career goals with 50 and fourth all-time in points with 94. She finished six points behind Christy Hicks for No. 3 all-time in points. Mondo also ended her four-year career fifth in career assists with 44, seven behind — who else? — Hicks. … Goalie Nikki Jung (Inver Grove Heights, Minn.) closed out her career ranking No. 2 on SMU's all-time saves list with 2,042. … Jung and fellow senior Amanda Gage (Lino Lakes, Minn.) combeind to post a 2.90 goals-against-average and a .900 save percentage. … The Cardinals finished just 1-13-1 when their opponent scored first. … The Cardinals played three overtime games this season — and all three ended in ties. It marked the second straight year in which SMU had three ties in a season. |
gives Cardinals' head coach plenty to smile about
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Melissa
Mondo 2 goals vs. Hamline; No. 2 all-time |
The bad news? The Cardinals failed to earn a berth in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference playoff semifinals, thanks to a 4-2 loss to Hamline last Tuesday night.
The good news? The Cardinals failed to earn a berth in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference playoff semifinals — against top-seeded Gustavus, a team that had lost just twice all season, and boasted a 10-0-1 record vs. SMU in their last 11 meetings.
That was one piece of good news, however, that coach Terry Mannor and the Cardinals would have loved to have a shot at.
"We would have loved another shot at Gustavus," said Mannor, whose team closed out its season with a 9-14-3 — and a seventh straight MIAC playoff appearance. "But this team has nothing to hang their heads about — I am so proud of what they have accomplished.
"I think (last) Sunday's game took its toll on us — both mentally and physically," continued Mannor, whose team closed out its regular season with a come-from-behind, 4-3 win over St. Thomas. "To play a game like that, and then turn around two days later and have to play again, it was tough.
Determined not to have their season end in the playoff's opening round, seniors Melissa Mondo (Vadnais Heights, Minn.), Rachel Harrison (Madison, Wis.) and Laura Mueller (St. Paul, Minn.) did everything they could to get the Cardinals another crack at the Gusties, as the trio hooked up twice in the first two periods to give SMU a 2-1 edge heading into the game's final 20 minutes.
The Cardinals got on the board late in the first period, as Mondo was on the receiving end of a Mueller-to-Harrison-to-Mondo hook-up to give SMU a 1-0 lead. Hamline responded by tying the game less than two minutes into the second period, only to have SMU complete another senior trifecta as Mondo netted her second of the game off assists from Harrison and Mueller.
That, however, was all the offense SMU would muster — and the Pipers were just getting warmed up, as Hamline scored three times in the third period to seal their first-ever post-season victory.
"Obviously, the seniors are pretty disappointed, they weren't ready for their final season to come to an end," said Mannor, who loses 10 seniors to graduation. "But they can feel good about the way they went out — they went out fighting right to the end.
"You always want to win your final game, but only one team gets to do that — and, unfortunately, that team's not us this year."