SAINT PETER, Minn. - The opportunities were there and from the first minute, Gustavus had No. 2 St. Olaf on their heels, but after 90 minutes, the two teams settled for a 1-1 draw. Reigning MIAC Offensive Player of the Week
Kieran Mahan scored his 12th goal of the season in the first half to give the Gusties the lead, but a goal late in the second half drew the two teams even.
To say it was a cagey affair would be putting it nicely between the two teams, who seem to always find each other in late October and November. There were five total shots on goal in the contest, but 20 fouls and three yellow cards illustrate the picture of the match better on a cold, windy day in Saint Peter. Head Coaches and twin brothers
Tyler Oliver and Justin Oliver reached into each other's minds throughout the match, matching wits for 90 minutes, but Gustavus and
Tyler Oliver had the better of the moments throughout the two stanzas.
Five minutes into the match, the Gusties earned their first corner kick and earned two more in the next two minutes, setting the tone. From there, No. 2 St. Olaf settled in and it became much more even, but Gustavus still held a shot advantage, 5-3. A wayward pass from the Oles gave Gustavus a goal kick with the wind and after headers from seniors
Max Just (Lakeville, Minn.) and
Darren Chukel (Hudson, Wis.), the ball fell to sophomore
Kieran Mahan (Wayzata, Minn.). Mahan needed no more than one touch with his left foot to leave his mark on the match, pushing the ball into the bottom right corner to give Gustavus the lead.
In the second half, No. 2 St. Olaf made the game much more even for the first 30 minutes, which resulted in finding the game-tying goal at 75:24. Gustavus in and throughout the second half had marquee chances, but could not find one to double the lead before the Oles capitalized and tied the game at one. Shots on goal in the second half favored St. Olaf, 2-1 and corners also favored the visitors, 6-4. It was once again a cross onto the back post that plagued the Gusties, giving junior goalkeeper
Jackson Baker (Excelsior, Minn.) no time to react before the header from an Ole touched twine.
Sophomore
Thomas Depaula (Ankeny, Iowa), Mahan, and junior
Cal Avery (Middleton, Wis.) took the three shots on goal for the Gusties while reigning MIAC Defensive Player of the Week, Baker, made one save in goal. Senior
Simon Woods (Sioux Falls, S.D.), Depaula, and Chukel all played 90 minutes in the outfield.
The Gusties wrap up their MIAC regular season on Saturday, traveling to Northfield to take on Carleton. Gustavus has earned a bye in the quarterfinal round of the MIAC Men's Soccer Playoffs and will host a semifinal matchup on Thursday, November 5th with a tentative kickoff at 2 p.m. in Saint Peter. More information about the MIAC Playoffs will be provided as it becomes available.
