Coming off their 11th shutout victory of the season, the College of Saint Benedict soccer team (13-3, 7-2 MIAC) will host the St. Catherine Wildcats (7-7-1, 4-5 MIAC) tomorrow (Oct. 29th) in a matchup with huge MIAC playoff implications. With a Concordia-Carleton tie on Saturday, the Blazers are now tied with Augsburg for first-place with only two games remaining.

The Schedule:

St. Catherine at Saint Benedict, 3:30 p.m., Oct. 29th, Saint John's Fields, Collegeville, Minn.

The Records:

CSB: 13-3 (7-2 MIAC) (6-0 Home)

SCU: 7-7-1 (4-5 MIAC) (2-4 Away)

Who to Watch:

CSB:

Jr. F Aly Hoffman (Leads team with six goals and 17 points)

Jr. F Gracie Vaughan (Leads team with six assists, is known for scoring and assisting game-winning goals in key matches)

So. K Heather Kaluzniak (Has led the MIAC in save percentage (.906) and goals against average (0.50) all year)

SCU:

So. M Hannah Okerstrom (Leads team with four goals and nine points)

Jr. K Danielle Mendez (Boasts a goals against average of 0.97)

Sr. D Sarah Anderson (Former All-MIAC defender has started four straight games after  suffering an injury early in the year)

Storyline:

In order to accomplish their goal of winning the MIAC Championship, the final two games are must-wins for the Blazers. Although they are tied with Augsburg, they lose the tiebreaker (head-to-head) if both teams finish even at the end of the year. A win today and an Augsburg loss or draw at St. Olaf would put them in the driver's seat for the conference championship. A loss could drop them as low as a tie for fifth-place with St. Thomas.

About the Wildcats:

St. Catherine started off the season cold, winning only one of their first six matches. Lately however they have caught fire, winning four of their past five. A surging defense and the return of Anderson have been instrumental in their resurgence, as they have shutout opponents in all four of their past four victories. Key to a victory for the Blazers will be getting on the board early. The Wildcats are 1-7 when they concede the first goal.

Last Year:

In 2013, the Blazers traveled to St. Paul needing a win to keep their MIAC Championship hopes alive. A fifth-minute goal from Laura Kosch and early second-half goals from Hoffman and Colleen Bouchard gave the Blazers a 3-0 lead in the second half. They held on to win the game 3-1. Saint Benedict outshot the Wildcats 16-7.

Last Time Out:

CSB:

On Saturday the Blazers traveled to Winona and shutout the last-place Cardinals by a 2-to-0 score.Taylor Hedin scored just 30 seconds into the game off an assist from Nicole Bauer. The goal was Hedin's fifth of the year. Later in the half, sophomore forward Reina Nelson scored the first goal of her collegiate career, scoring off an assist from Kelsey Taterek and Vaughan.

SCU:

On Saturday, the Wildcats saw their four-game win streak be snapped the Scots of Macalester College. The Scots scored one goal in the first half and another early in the second half to defeat the Wildcats 2-0. St. Catherine was outshot 8-18 by Macalester.