ST. PAUL, MINN. – The season is just getting started for the St. Catherine University soccer team. While the Wildcats have already been playing for a month, the hunt to make the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) playoffs is just getting started, and the games don't get any bigger than this Saturday's showdown against the University of St. Thomas.

St. Kate's will host St. Thomas in, arguably, the biggest game of the 2017 season. The Wildcats suffered their first home conference loss of the season on Tuesday and are looking to rebound with a big upset over the Tommies.

On the flip side, St. Thomas is coming off a dominant 3-0 win over Concordia College, the Tommies third shutout win since September 23. However, St. Thomas has been shut out twice in conference play, as the Tommies lost to both Hamline and Macalester 1-0.

Fans unable to attend Saturday's 1 p.m. game in person can follow online via live stats. Score updates will also be made on St. Kate's official Twitter page (@stkateswildcats).

Here are the five things to know before kickoff Saturday:

2 – The Tommies and Wildcats met twice last season, once in the regular season and against in the semifinal round of the MIAC playoffs. St. Thomas won both meetings, the first 1-0 and the second 2-0 to advance to the MIAC championship.

6 – Sophomore goalkeeper Tayler Koop (Blaine, Minn. / Blaine) played the best game of her career in the Wildcats 1-0 loss to Saint Ben's Tuesday. Koop faced seven shots on goal in 90 minutes of play and made six saves, a career high for the sophomore. Koop surrendered just the one goal in the 47^th minute on to the Blazers' Sydney Bramer.

.966 – St. Thomas goalkeeper Katie Lynn leads the MIAC in all defensive categories but one: save. This season, Lynn has a .966 save percentage, a .12 goals against average and has allowed just one goal in eight games.

16.4 – Despite Tuesday's loss, St. Kate's continued to be one of the most offensive teams in the MIAC, especially against conference opponents. The Wildcats average 16.4 shots per game against their MIAC foes and have peppered conference goalies with 115 shots this season. Both numbers rank second in the conference.

5 – On the flip side, the Tommies have been one of the top defensive teams in the MIAC this season. St. Thomas leads the conference in shut outs this season, both in (5) and out (7) of conference play. The Tommies goalkeepers Lynn and Olivia Elvidge have given up just five goals the season, the lowest combined total for goalies in the conference.