SAINT PETER, Minn. - No. 4 Gustavus men's soccer advanced to the MIAC playoff championship game with a 3-2 win over Carleton on Thursday, remaining undefeated on the season at 15-0-3. All five goals in the game were scored in the second half as the Gusties gained a 3-0 advantage before the Knights fought back at the end with a pair of goals.
After a scoreless first half that saw the Knights outshoot the Gusties 10-4,
Jared Hecht broke the silence just over a minute into the second frame.
Alex Krumenauer stole a free kick at midfield and passed it to Hecht who took it the distance through two defenders and found the lower left corner of the net. Three minutes later,
Owen Johnson lobbed a pass to
Rivaldo Pena on the left side, who chipped it in front of the net for Hecht who buried his fifth goal of the season on a header.
The Gusties took a three-goal advantage in the 67th minute as
Miles Redmond broke free up the right side, passed it Pena in the box, who centered to
Joe Flory for the tap-in goal - his team-leading 11th of the season.
Carleton did not go quietly, though, ending the shutout in the 71st minute and then making it a one-goal game with just over two minutes to play, but the Gustie defense did not break in the final moments and held on for the win.
The Knights outshot the Gusties 27-12 overall, but the Gusties had more shots on goal at 6-5.
Egan Bedwell made three saves for his 15th win of the season.
"We played an extremely motivated Carleton today and honestly they were great," said Head Coach
Tudor Flintham. "They were probably unlucky to not be leading at half. But as we've done all year we stayed resilient and got to half time. We made some necessary adjustments that clearly paid off and Jared had an immediate impact in the other box. Then Joe scored one of my favorite goals of the season. At 3-0 you expect to close the game out way better and we simply lost focus. Guys understand that it takes a full 90 minutes; 80 won't get it done. So we learn a lesson. Survive and advance, and we look forward to another championship game on Saturday."
Gustavus is now set to host the MIAC playoff championship game Saturday and will face St. Olaf for the third consecutive season. Last season, the game ended in a 1-1 tie and the Oles advanced on penalty kicks 4-3. St. Olaf went on the win the national championship.
