20 Questions with a Saint

Senior Gina Cardenas (Auburn, Washington) is in her final campaign in a Saints uniform. The elementary education major currently leads the team in saves (42), starts (10) and shutouts. Cardenas ranks seventh in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference in goals against (1.58 per game) and save percentage (.726), while also ranking fourth in saves per game with 4.09. The Saints are currently 3-9 on the season after falling 3-1 to nationally ranked Western Washington University on Thursday. SMU will take the field again Saturday at 1 pm when they face Simon Fraser University. The last time the two squads met, the Saints were able to snag a road win, defeating the Clan 2-0 in Canada.

1.      If you could change one rule in your sport, what would it be?

-          More defined and consistent reasons for why a player is being charged with a foul

2.      What is one item you always take with you on the road?

-          My headphones so I can listen to music before the game

3.      What is one song on your iPod that would surprise people?

-          I have a lot of alternative and screamo music that I listen to before the game

4.      Name one fear that people might not know about you.

-          I’m afraid of the dark. I hate not knowing what’s there

5.      Who is the biggest jokester/prankster on the team?

-          Nikki Roberts

6.      What is one thing you wish you knew how to do?

-          I wish I could sing or dance

7.      What is your most prized possession of no value?

-          I have a tape recording of my dad’s voice on a cassette that someone gave to me

8.      If you could eat at any fast food restaurant right now, where would it be?

-          Taco Bell

9.      When not at practice, where can you most likely to be found?

-          At home in bed watching Netflix

10.  What one TV show do you watch that would surprise others?

-          I love SpongeBob Squarepants

11.  What was your first job?

-          I worked at Sears in Lacey as seasonal help

12.  Would you rather explore outer space, or the depths of the ocean?

-          Outer space

13.  What is your favorite cereal to eat?

-          Cinnamon Toast Crunch

14.  Most embarrassing athletic moment.

-          This year against Central Washington University I went to go take a goal kick and slipped and fell right on my butt in front of their students

15.  What one major sporting event would you like to attend?

-          The World Cup

16.  What is one of your pregame rituals or routines?

-          Just recently a girl on my high school team passed away and I put her initials on my gloves that let me know she’s looking down on me

17.  Who is your favorite professor you have had at SMU?

-          Dr. Mark Haddock (Professor in Education)

18.  What is your favorite road trip to take?

-          Going up north on the Western Washington and Simon Fraser trip because we get to stop at the outlet stores for 15 minutes and everyone is running around trying to go to as many stores as they can.  It’s also cool to be in Canada because we get to play in another country.

19.  Is there any significance to your jersey number?

-          I chose 18 because that was Hope Solo’s number when she started playing.

20.  What is the reason you decided to come to SMU?

-          I like the size of the classes and getting to know people in my class was a better fit for me.

 

 

 

It's All About the Mindset

It happens in every sport, every season; to almost every player, and sometimes it’s inevitable. Sometimes there’s no escaping it; everything that happens seems to not be going your way. Lady Luck just isn’t calling your number. 


This is what it felt like last season for the Saint Martin’s University men’s soccer team when they went 3-15 overall and 2-12 in Great Northwest Athletic Conference play. “Last year our games were close, we just ended up on the wrong side of it,” senior forward Dylan Gaydosh noted. The Saints struggled to put points on the scoreboard last season, only scoring 19 goals in 18 games. This season alone the team has 11, with nine of those goals coming over the last six games. During this span, SMU is 3-2-1 with one of their losses coming to nationally ranked Simon Fraser in a 2-1 loss.

However, the Saints started out of the gates slow this season, falling in their first four games while being outscored 12-2. But something started clicking for the squad in mid-September.

“The biggest change is our mindset,” said senior midfielder CJ Chu. “We had some mental laps’ that hurt, but after we won a few games, we got the mindset we can win every game when we step on the field.”

Gaydosh added that one of the biggest differences is “Being opportunistic and taking advantage of situations we had been in before.”  

Both Gaydosh and Chu agreed on the same time frame of the team’s shift. “Our first conference win against the University of Mary in overtime was definitely our team’s turning point because it was our first win of the season and conference,” Chu said. “Being able to grind out an overtime win was huge for us,” Gaydosh added.

That match in particular was indeed a grind out match like Gaydosh stated, with both teams unable to score in the first 90 minutes. The game went into overtime with SMU down to only 10 players due to an ejection.  However, with only 2:39 on the clock, UM was issued a red card that resulted in a Saints penalty kick. On the kick, it was the senior co-captain Chu who found the back of the net to secure the victory for the Saints.

Since that game, the team has been playing its best ball of the year and riding high, “The feeling after getting that first win was so great, that we go in (to every game) with the mindset now that we can win,” Chu said.

“We’re just trying to take advantage of the situations we have had this year,” claimed the other co-captain Gaydosh.

With eight conference games remaining, the two seniors are looking to finish out their collegiate campaigns on a high note. “If we keep on playing the way we have been and keep the same mindset every time we have practice or a game, I feel like we can compete with every team in the conference and hopefully have a chance to sit at the top of the table at the end of the season,” Chu said. “We can definitely get as good as results as did we in the first half of the season,” Gaydosh added.

By looking at the recent trend of the Saints, it’s scary to think of what kind of run they could go on and how that could impact the team and the program. A couple different plays and the Saints could have upset the nation’s number one seed in Simon Fraser a few weeks ago.

Whatever happens, throughout the course of the year, both players are looking to leave the program as individuals who have had an impact and contributed to creating consistency. Either way, the program’s mindset is in a different direction that looks to be sticking around for quite a while.

Volleyball 101

Hey Saints fans, hope everyone is enjoying fall sports so far. With conference play now upon us, competition will be at an all-time high for the teams to earn a Great Northwest Athletic Conference title and make it to the post season.

As for Kyle's Korner, I decided to do something completely different for this post. Rather than writing a story or doing a 20 questions post, it was time to go digital. Yes, that's right; Kyle's Korner is now using video. This is something that I have never done, or tried before, but it was time to spice things up a bit.

This particular video segment is titled "Volleyball 101." What I plan on doing is clearing up some possible confusion, or concepts within the sport. For this video, I choose to have the volleyball team explain and demonstrate some calls that a referee can make during a match.

First of all, let me just explain to you how interesting it was to create this video with these girls. They had a million ideas and they all wanted to be involved. They were so excited to be a part of the video; which also meant they were very enthusiastic (or should I say wound up). Either way, it was a great experience and the video turned out great. Thanks for all the help girls, and look for more videos in the near future.

#halosup