SAINT PETER, Minn. - No. 4 Gustavus men's soccer is set to begin postseason play Thursday afternoon at home against Carleton in the semifinal round of the MIAC playoffs. The Gusties, ranked No. 2 in Region IX, enter the game 14-0-3 overall and finished 8-0-2 in the MIAC, while the Knights are 12-4-3 overall (6-4 MIAC) after defeating Bethel 5-2 Monday in the quarterfinals.
 
GUSTIES IN THE MIAC PLAYOFFS

The MIAC men's soccer playoffs began in 2003 and since then Gustavus has made 18 appearances with a record of 17-10, including a league-best seven championships. This year's playoff appearance is the eighth consecutive for Gustavus after falling in a shootout in the title game to St. Olaf last season. The Gusties last won the league playoff in 2019 when they defeated Saint John's 6-2 in the semifinals and St. Thomas 3-1 in the championship.
 
THE SERIES

Thursday's game marks the 51st all-time meeting between Gustavus and Carleton on the soccer pitch with the Gusties holding a 31-12-7 advantage in the series. The two teams met last year in the semifinals as well with the Gusties beating the Knights 1-0 in Northfield. The Gusties are 2-1-1 against Carleton in the all-time playoff series. Prior to last season's playoff win for Gustavus, the Gusties beat the Knights 1-0 in the 2014 semifinals and the two teams tied in the 2012 title game with the Gusties winning on penalty kicks, 7-6. Carleton's only playoff win over Gustavus came in 2011, winning 1-0 in the semifinals.
 
LAST TIME THEY MET

Then-No. 6 Gustavus men's soccer opened its MIAC slate of games on Sept. 17 at the Gustie Soccer Field against Carleton and came away with a 1-0 victory.
 
Maintaining possession for much of the first half, the Gusties broke through in the 34th minute for the game's only score. Leo Runestad tallied his first goal of the season, which proved to be the game-winner. Owen Johnson assisted on the goal, bringing his season total to three and his career mark to 40, which is one shy of the program record set by former teammate Matthew Gibbons (2017-21). The Gusties outshot the Knights 13-2 in the first half.
 
The second half was not as tilted in favor of the Gusties, but they still increased their shot advantage to 23-4, including a 9-1 mark on goal. Johnson and Rivaldo Pena led the attack with two shots on goal each. Egan Bedwell earned his fifth clean sheet of the season after making one save. The Gustie defense has now gone three straight games allowing just one shot on goal.
 
"We knew it was going to be tough facing Carleton to start the conference because they really do not concede a lot of goals," said Head Coach Tudor Flintham. "I thought we pinned them in throughout the first half and were able to do a lot of the things we wanted to do, but they adjusted in the second half which forced us to change a bit tactically, which we'd rather not do, but we made the change and were a bit more comfortable defensively.
 
"We also had a few guys out with injuries but we have this mantra of 'next man up,' and that's what happens with Gustie soccer."
 
SCOUTING THE GUSTIES

For the second time in the past three seasons, Gustavus enters the postseason with an undefeated record. Their .906 winning percentage ranks second in Division III. The Gusties have one of the best defenses in the country, ranking 10th in shutout percentage (.625) and 11th in team goals against average (.530). Keeper Egan Bedwell leads the nation with 11 shutouts this season, having played in every minute (1530:00) of every game. Bedwell owns a 0.53 goals against average and a .795 save percentage. Joe Flory leads the team with 21 points on 10 goals and one assist. Flory also leads the team with 21 shots on goal. Owen Johnson is next with 14 points and a team-leading eight assists. Johnson has taken the most shots at 54 and is tied with Flory with 21 shots on goal. Earlier this season, Johnson set the program record for career assists and enters Thursday's game with 45 career assists. His 73 career points currently rank 11th in program history. Playing both center back and center forward throughout the season, Jared Hecht has three goals and three assists for nine points. As a team, the Gusties average 2.06 goals and 17.4 shots per game.
 
SCOUTING THE KNIGHTS

Carleton is fresh off a decisive 5-2 win over Bethel in the MIAC quarterfinals on Monday and has won seven of its last eight games. Ben Pennell was the player of the game against the Royals, scoring a hat trick to increase his season point total to 18, which is second most on the team in just nine games played. Owen Flanagan, who had three assists on Monday, leads the team with 28 points on 11 goals and six assists. Briggs Priem is third on the team with 15 points on five goals and five assists. As a team, the Knights average 2.4 goals and 15.5 shots per game. They've allowed an average of 0.79 goals and 9.9 shots per game. Daniel Linder and Leo Kugel have split time in goal. Linder has started in 10 games with a 1.10 goals against average and a .784 save percentage, while Kugel has made nine starts with a 0.34 goals against average and an .893 save percentage. Kugel's goals against average ranks fourth in Division III, while his save percentage ranks fifth.