BROOKLYN PARK, Minn. - The Gustavus men's golf team struggled on Day 2 of the MIAC Championships, shooting +28, one shot worse than Day 1 and stayed in seventh place.

The Gusties were paired with Augsburg and St. Scholastica and were overtaken by the Auggies by one stroke heading into the final day. 

First-year Noah Gratil (Mellieha, Malta) led Gustavus with a 75 (+3) across a consistent 38 on the front nine and 37 on the back nine, including three birdies. Sophomore Kyle Peterson (Duluth, Minn.) followed behind with a 79 (+7) which held a bounce-back over the last 13 holes after starting the day +7 through five holes. Senior Blake Forrest (Maple Grove, Minn.) and sophomore Ford Finster (Hermosa Beach, Calif.) rounded out the scoring for the team, both shooting 81s (+9). 

"Tomorrow we need to play with more confidence and trust our process," said head coach Scott Moe. "Definitely not where we wanted to be at this point, but I know we will finish hard and battle all day. This is a very young group and we need to learn how to handle the pressures of big events and just realize it's 18 holes just like we've played a thousand times".

The Gusties will look to bounce back on Monday to round off the MIAC Championships.