CARDINAL WOMEN'S SOCCER HOME
(http://sports.smumn.edu/w_soccer)
Cardinal Roster
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MIAC Standings
2005 Record:
0-0-0 MIAC, 5-0-0 Overall
Last Week's Results:
Saint Mary's 4, Ripon 0 / Details
Saint Mary's 1, North Central 0 / Details
Saint Mary's 1, Benedictine 0 / Details
Upcoming Events:
Tues., Sept. 13: Hamline at SMU, 4 p.m.
Sat., Sept. 17: Carleton at SMU, 1 p.m.
Sun., Sept. 18: SMU at Wis. Lutheran, 4 p.m.
This and That:
The Cardinals' season-opening five-game winning streak is their longest since SMU opened the 1999 season with a seven-game run. … SMU has not allowed a goal since the 29:40 mark of its 2-1 win over Marian — a span of 330:20 minutes. … Four of SMU's five wins have been by one goal — including three 1-0 affairs. … Jennifer Johnson (Racine, Wis.) — the Cardinals' starting goalkeeper who has already posted three shutouts this season — gave SMU all the offense it would need in Sunday's win over Benedictine, scoring her first goal of the season. … Bridgette Baggio (Glenview, Ill.) tallied her first two collegiate goals in SMU's 4-0 win over Ripon, while Nadia Effendi (St. Paul, Minn.) netted the first of her SMU career in Saturday's 1-0 win over North Central.


Cardinals' road show comes to successful close
as SMU runs season-opening winning streak to 5

WINONA, Minn. — After nearly two weeks, and five games, the Saint Mary's University women's soccer road show came to a close Sunday afternoon.

And the Cardinals' hosts couldn't be happier.

SMU, behind the foot — rather than the hands — of goalkeeper-turned-forward of Jennifer Johnson (Racine, Wis.), pushed its season-opening winning streak to five with a 1-0 win over Benedictine on Sunday.

Johnson, who teamed with Melissa Paulson (Ham Lake, Minn.) to post the three-save shutout, opened Sunday's game in goal, but — with the score knotted at 0-0 — was moved to forward late in the game in hopes of providing the SMU offense with a much-needed spark.

And spark she was, as the SMU junior was on the finishing end of a tic-tac-toe passing play with Louise Irvine (Belfast, Northern Ireland) and Emily Berg (Owatonna, Minn.), netting her first goal goal of the season with less than eight minutes remaining in regulation to give the Cardinals the one-goal victory.

"It was just one of those situations where we were dominating play offensively, but we couldn't but the ball in the net," said SMU coach Tony Guinn, whose team outshot Benedictine 25-3. "We needed a goal and Jennifer is one of our best all-around athletes, so I figured maybe she could give us the boost we needed.

"Fortunately, (Johnson) made me look like a genius."

The Cardinals, 5-0-0 for the first time since starting the 1999 season 7-0-0, finally return home on Tuesday, when they open Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play against Hamline.

"To be 5-0 is wonderful – our start so far has exceeded even my expectations," admitted Guinn. "But it also hasn't been easy. When you take a look at our schedule, sure we're 5-0, but four of those games have been decided by one goal.

"We've done a good job of making the most of our opportunities."

And, Tuesday, the Cardinals finally have an opportunity to play on their home turf — in front of their home fans.

"It's nice to finally get to play a home game," Guinn said. "Hopefully we'll be able to pack the stands with fans — I know everyone on this team is excited about showing Cardinal fans what they've been missing these first two weeks."