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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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| 2005 Final Record: 6-5-0 MIAC, 13-5-0 Overall |
| Upcoming Events: Sept. 1: SMU at Bethany Lutheran, 7 p.m. Sept. 9: SMU at Northland, Noon Sept. 10: SMU at UW-Superior, Noon |
| This and That: The Cardinals posted 10 shutout wins in 2005 — including seven 1-0 victories. … SMU's 13 wins were the most by a Cardinal team since 1994, when they went 16-3-1 and lost to UC-San Diego in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. … Lisa Tlougan (Rochester, Minn.) finished the season as the team's goal-scoring leader with six goals. … Jennifer Johnson (Racine, Wis.) finished the year with a school-record 0.42 goals against average, breaking the old mark of 0.73 set by Steph Voss in 1989. … Johnson also boasted nine shutouts. … Kendra Maloney (Green Bay, Wis.) finished the season as the team's leader in assists (6), while sharing the points lead (14) with Tlougan. … SMU held its opponents to one goal or less in 16 of its 18 games. … Eight of the 10 goals given up by the Cardinals were scored in the first half. … The Cardinals, meanwhile, scored 13 goals in the first half, 13 in the second and one in OT. |
Guinn confident Cardinals can continue their climb
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Who's Hot?
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Jennifer
Johnson 0.42 GAA in 2005 |
Thirteen wins in 2005.
The Saint Mary's University women's soccer team has been on the rise the past two seasons.
And coach Tony Guinn is confident that his Cardinals haven't even come close to peaking.
Not by a long shot.
"This team really accomplished a lot last season," said Guinn, whose team closed out its 2005 campaign with a 13-5-0 overall record — the most wins by a Cardinal team since 1994, when they went 16-3-1 and lost to UC-San Diego in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. "In my two years here, I think we have taken some positive steps forward."
In the span of just two years under Guinn, the Cardinals have climbed from the depths of a 3-14-1 season in 2003, to last year's 13-5-0 effort.
In his first season at the helm, Guinn began the Cardinals' climb, as SMU posted a 7-10-1 overall record in 2004.
And while the Cardinals' transformation is far from complete, SMU's 2005 performance — an improvement of 5.5 wins — did rank the Cardinals 10th among the most improved teams in all of NCAA Division III.
"We were in a lot of very close ball games, and, more often than not, we were able to find a way to win," said Guinn, whose team held its opponents to one goal or less in 16 of their 18 games — including 10 shutout wins. "Our goal is to continue to improve every year — we made great strides from my first year to last year, and, hopefully, we will be able to continue that trend this coming season."
Hopefully?
When you return nine of your 11 starters — including All-Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference goalkeeper Jennifer Johnson (Racine, Wis.) — it's a pretty safe bet the Cardinals will find themselves in the MIAC playoff mix in late October.
"There's no doubt that our team's goals are to advance into our MIAC playoffs and earn a berth in the national tournament," said Guinn, whose 2005 team cracked into the regional rankings for the first time since 1999. "We were a very young team last year and the experience they got will be a bonus for us this year.
"The key to being successful in the MIAC is depth, and our overall team depth is the best it's been since I've been here."
Deep, and talented.
Not only does Guinn return his standout goalkeeper, who set a single-season school record with her 0.42 goals-against-average and posted nine shutouts, but he also returns his starting sweeper, both of his starting marking backs, and his starting center midfielder.
It's been said that defense wins championships — and Guinn isn't about to argue.
"We've proven over the past couple of years that we are a tough team to score on," said Guinn, whose team allowed just 10 goals in their 18 games a year ago. "And that's not going to change this year.
"Offensively, we are going to need to pick things up a bit, but when you play defense the way we can, one or two goals (a game) is all you need," Guinn added. "I'm excited about the potential this team possesses — the sky's the limit."