SAINT PETER, Minn. – Playing a man down for the last 33 minutes of the game due to a red card, the Gustavus men's soccer team suffered its first loss of the season in a 2-1 decision against St. Olaf in the MIAC playoff championship Saturday. The Gusties drop to 14-1-4 overall, while the Oles earn the MIAC's automatic berth to the NCAA tournament with a record of 13-5-1. Gustavus, ranked No. 1 in the region and No. 5 in the nation, could be considered a lock to earn an at-large berth to the national tournament, which will be announced at 12:30 p.m. Monday.
Ten minutes into the match, the Ole keeper sent a clear to midfield where
Mason Gilliand (Fy., Minneapolis) made the first touch and passed it forward to
Owen Johnson (Jr., Apple Valley). Johnson then sent a through ball ahead to
Jack Knight (Jr., Verona, Wis.) at the 18 where he drove a goal into the lower right corner of the net for his third goal of the season. The score remained 1-0 at the half with shots even at 7-7.
Nearly three minutes into the second half, Gustavus was called for a foul inside its own box, resulting in a penalty kick goal for the Oles to tie the game. And with 33 minutes left in regulation, the Gusties were whistled for a red card and forced to play the remainder of the match down a player. Playing with a defensive approach, Gustavus kept the Oles at bay until the 88:59 mark when the visitors found a crack in the defense and scored what proved to be the game-winning goal.
The Oles outshot the Gusties 18-13 as
Wesley Sanders (Sr., Urbandale, Iowa) made a season-high 10 saves. St. Olaf also had eight corner kick opportunities compared to two for the Gusties.
