Saint John's opens its 2021 MIAC soccer schedule with a 12:30 p.m. game against Saint Mary's on Saturday, Sept. 18, in Winona. – Live Stats | Live Video

A LOOK AT THE JOHNNIES: Saint John's (3-2-1 overall) scored three first-half goals in a 3-0 non-conference win Tuesday (Sept. 14) at Minnesota-Morris.

Junior forward Ryan Erickson (Inver Grove Heights, Minn./Eagan) tallied the Johnnies' first goal, his third of the season, in the 14th minute with assists going to sophomore midfielder Kaidan Popp (Redmond, Wash./Mount Si) and junior midfielder Matt D. Anderson (Omaha, Neb./Creighton Prep).

Junior defender Cavin Allen (Excelsior, Minn./Chanhassen) made it 2-0 off a corner kick from senior forward Tommy Picka (Victoria, Minn./Chaska) in the 26th minute. Junior midfielder Trenton Dodds (Dubuque, Iowa/Wahlert) ended the scoring off another corner kick from Picka with 14 seconds left in the first half. Picka's corner went to junior forward Kevin Arthur (Champlin, Minn./Champlin Park), who flicked it to Dodds for the tally.

Junior Jake Swanson (Minneapolis, Minn./Bloomington Jefferson) made his first appearance in net this season and stopped two shots for his second collegiate shutout. 

SJU doubled up the Cougars (0-5-0 overall) with a 16-8 advantage in shots (7-2 on goal) and registered eight corner kicks to the home team's zero.

FIRSTS: A number of Johnnies recorded season or career firsts Tuesday at Morris:

-Allen, first goal of the season
-Arthur, first career point
-Dodds, first career goal
-Picka, first point/s of the season

BLANKING MORRIS: Wednesday's win was SJU's ninth consecutive against Minnesota-Morris and the fourth straight shutout. The Johnnies have out-scored the Cougars 25-2 in the last 11 meetings, a 10-0-1 record. That's two goals allowed in the last 1,020:48 of play.

MIAC OPENERS: SJU is 26-9-4 in its first conference game of the season since 1981, including an 12-4-2 mark when the MIAC opener is away from Collegeville. The Johnnies defeated Bethel 2-0 during the 2020-21 shortened season April 11, but it was not a conference game. 

A LOOK AT THE CARDINALS: Saint Mary's (3-2, 0-1 MIAC) saw its three-game win streak end with a 2-1 loss Wednesday (Sept. 15) at Carleton in the MIAC opener. The Knights jumped out to a 2-0 lead thanks to a pair of goals less than two minutes apart in the 20th and 22nd minutes. Senior midfielder Eli Szymanski cut the Cardinals' deficit in half when he converted his third penalty kick of the season in the 34th minute. Sophomore goalkeeper Daniel Sessler tied a career high with seven saves, including a second-half penalty kick that kept it a one-goal game. Carleton finished with a 28-6 edge in shots, including a 9-1 advantage on goal. Szymanski leads SMU in goals (4), game-winning goals (2) and points (10). Sessler is 1-2 with a 1.67 GAA and a .783 save percentage (18 saves) in 270 minutes this fall, while classmate Jacob Wing is 2-0 with a 0.56 GAA and a .800 save percentage (four saves) in two appearances (161:38). The Cardinals have not allowed a second-half goal through five games this season.

LAST SPRING: The Johnnies and Cardinals met twice in a span of four days in April during the abbreviated season last spring. The two teams played to a scoreless draw April 21 in Collegeville and SMU pulled out a 2-1 overtime win four days later (April 25) in Winona.

t-at Saint John's 0, Saint Mary's 0 (2OT)
SJU out-shot Saint Mary's by a slim 15-14 edge, including a 13-4 advantage after halftime. Swanson made four saves in his first collegiate shutout. Shots on goal were even at 4-4.

The tie was the first in the series since Oct. 14, 1989, which was also a scoreless tie in Collegeville.

at Saint Mary's 2, Saint John's 1 (OT)
Cerim Palislamovic scored the game-winner for the Cardinals 2:53 into the extra frame.

Allen tied the game at 1-1 for SJU with his first goal of the season, and second of his career, off a corner kick from Paul Wadsworth '21 in the 77th minute.

A shot off the post went across the goal mouth to SMU's Diego Rivera 10:31 into the second half.

Swanson made three saves in the loss as SJU out-shot the Cardinals 15-10, though shots on net were even at 5-5. The Johnnies posted a 6-0 advantage in corner kicks.

SERIES HISTORY: The Johnnies are 32-6-4 all-time against Saint Mary's (since 1981), including a 15-4-1 record in Winona.