SAINT PETER, Minn. - No. 4 Gustavus men's soccer continued its winning ways on a warm Saturday afternoon, beating Hamline 3-2 at the Gustie Soccer Field. The Gusties, who extend their winning streak to seven games, are now 8-0-1 overall and 3-0-0 in the MIAC.
"Hamline is massively improved," said Head Coach
Tudor Flintham. "They haven't played a crazy schedule so people don't know what to think of them. But that are a seriously dangerous team with multiple guys who are All-Region caliber."
The Gusties started the scoring in the 25th minute as
Joe Flory scored on a penalty kick for his team-leading sixth goal of the season. The Gusties pressured for a majority of the opening half, out-shooting the Pipers 7-0 in the first 45 minutes.
Eight minutes into the second half,
Alex Krumenauer extended the lead to 2-0 with the help of
Owen Johnson. The assist from Johnson was the 41st of his career, which tied the program record set by former teammate Matthew Gibbons (2017-21).
At the 74:01 mark, Hamline ended the shutout with its first goal. The goal by the Pipers ended a scoreless streak of 453 minutes by the Gustie defense and keeper
Egan Bedwell. Gustavus was quick to respond, though, scoring just 51 seconds later on a goal from Johnson, assisted by
Rivaldo Pena.
The Pipers did not go quietly as they scored with less than seven minutes remaining in the game, making it a one-score game, but the Gustie defense weathered the storm late and held on for the win.
The Gusties outshot the Pipers 16-3 overall and 8-2 on goal. Johnson applied most of the pressure for the Gusties with three shots on goal. In a physical game, there were eight yellow cards issued and one red.
"We weren't at our best today but we did enough and you know what they say about teams who can find ways to win on their bad days," Flintham said. "Owen, Krum, and Flory were big difference makers ultimately. And I thought our back five showed moments where it highlighted why we don't usually concede chances. But we need to learn some harsh lessons today and probably have a hard reset on Monday. Tyler Oliver is my former assistant so knows us really well. He's done a phenomenal job there and creating a sneaky dangerous side. So hats off to them and we'll take stock. It's a good reminder that we aren't the finished product and that rankings are cool but don't win soccer games."
Gustavus next travels to Saint Mary's on Wednesday night for another MIAC matchup.
