Sports

St. Olaf Mens Soccer Beats Carleton; Schools Share MIAC Championship

St. Olaf is the number one seed in the MIAC playoffs, which start Wednesday.

Goals by David Rosenthal, Blake Dressen, and Jake Stark led the St. Olaf men's soccer team to a 3-1 win over Carleton on Saturday at Rolf Mellby Field, as the team clinched a share of the regular season conference championship and the top seed for the upcoming MIAC playoffs.

After a scoreless first half in which neither team had a clear goal-scoring chance, the Oles outshot the Knights 8-3 in the second half on their way to scoring three times in the second half.

David Rosenthal opened the scoring for in the 49th minute with his team-leading 12th goal of the season. The sophomore forward cut in from the right wing and beat a couple Carleton defenders shooting across Knights goalie James Neher. Neher got a hand to Rosenthal's shot but could not keep it out.

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With ten minutes to go, Blake Dressen doubled St. Olaf's lead with his eighth goal of the year. Neher made a nice save on Nick Lund's fierce shot from the center of the box but the rebound fell to Dressen who slotted the ball in at the near post.

With a 2-0 lead, the Oles looked poised to see the game out but earned a penalty kick with five minutes to play. Tim Wills stepped up and converted the penalty into the lower right corner to make the score 2-1. The goal was the team-leading eighth of the year for Wills.

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After seeing their lead cut in half, the Oles didn't panic and just two minutes later iced the game with their third goal. On a counter attack, Jake Stark dribbled in from the left wing and unleashed a shot that took a big bounce before nestling inside the far low right corner. Stark's goal was unassisted and was his second of the season.

For the game, St. Olaf out shot Carleton 13-6. Wills and Miles Silbert lead the Knights with two shots apiece. Stark, Rosenthal, Dressen, and Max Lund all had two shots for the Oles. Neher and St. Olaf goalie Harry Ullmann each made two saves, respectively.

With the win, the Oles finish their regular season schedule with a 14-3-1, 7-2-1 MIAC record. The Knights finish 11-5-1, 7-2-1. With results elsewhere, the two teams share the regular season MIAC title after finishing with 22 points. Gustavus had a chance to finish on 23 points but drew 1-1 at home with Macalester, leaving them third with 21.

St. Olaf is the number one seed in the MIAC playoffs, which start on Wednesday. If Augsburg beats St. Mary's later this afternoon, St. Olaf will host the Auggies. If Augsburg ties or loses, St. Olaf will host Macalester. Regardless of the Augsburg-St. Mary's result, Carleton will host Gustavus. The win should also earn the Oles a berth in the NCAA tournament.

Editor's note: Story courtesy of St. Olaf Sports Information


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