LAKE FOREST, Ill. - The Gustavus men's soccer team ended their non-conference schedule on a strong note Monday, downing Lake Forest 6-1, thanks to a first half hat-trick from
Kieran Mahan.
Sophomore
Kieran Mahan's (Wayzata, Minn.) magic started just 2:49 into the match after a nifty passing play by the Gusties. Senior
Joe Flory (Whitchurch, England) picked up a pass played by fellow countryman
Jack Potter (Fy., London, England) and laid the ball off to junior
Cal Avery (Middleton, Wis.). Avery then played a beautiful ball that curled around the center back covering Mahan and the sophomore slid the ball past the goalkeeper to take the lead. Just 12 minutes later, Mahan would score the eventual game winner, his fourth of the year. Again, Flory was credited with an assist, taking a shot that was saved but eventually fell to Mahan. Mahan then flicked the rebound over the goalie and calmly but certainly slammed the ball into the back of the net. The third and final goal of the half for Mahan was a free kick which stopped the goalie in his tracks. Taking it with his right foot from the left side of the field, the Wayzata native left no doubt and added a third goal to the slate for the first stanza of Gustavus soccer at Lake Forest in the program's history.
The Gusties took nine total shots in the first half, six of which were shots on goal. In addition to the offensive prowess, the team only allowed the Foresters to take one shot on goal in the half and both teams had two corners.
12 minutes into the second half, the lead was pushed to four goals when a cross by senior
Leo Runestad (Northfield, Minn.) resulted in an own goal. Just nine minutes later in the 67th, senior
Gaylen Frazier (Plymouth, Minn.) scored on a scrappy goal assisted by senior
Sam Kaeding (Waconia, Minn.) to give Gustavus a five goal advantage. Lake Forest got one back in the 77th minute, but senior
Zach Heitkemper (Huntley, Ill.) moved the difference back to five with just over five minutes left to play. The senior was played a pass by junior
Samuel Holmberg (Mound, Minn.) and hit a low stinger from distance for the first goal of his career.
The match marked the second ever clash between the two teams and the first since 2022, when the Gusties won, 1-0, thanks to a goal by Jack Knight. Individually, Flory contributed two assists in 28 minutes of action to match a team season-high while Mahan had his second hat trick of the season. As a team, 17 points, six goals, and five assists were all season highs. Today's match marked the end of non-conference action in the regular season for Gustavus, who went 4-3-1 playing some of the region's hardest opponents and five teams who made the NCAA Division III National Championships in 2025.
Now, the Gusties will look to end the regular season strong and build on a four-game conference winning streak. The first step towards the end of the regular season is on Wednesday at 2 p.m., taking on St. Scholastica in Duluth.
