NORTHFIELD, Minn. - The Gustavus men's soccer team rallied on Saturday afternoon against Carleton, defeating the Knights, 3-1. With the win, the Gusties finish second in the MIAC and went undefeated across all 10 conference matches this season.
The teams went 40 scoreless minutes at Carleton before the Knights took the lead. Senior
Max Just (Lakeville, Minn.) did the best he could in a tough spot as a cross entered the penalty area and hit Just's arm, which was slightly outside his frame. Baker was sent the wrong way and Carleton took the lead, but would only hold it for five minutes of game time. The Knights led in shots on goal in the first half, 4-1, in addition to a 2-0 corner kick margin.
In the second half, it only took the Gusties 1:11 to tie the game back up. Junior goalkeeper
Jackson Baker (Excelsior, Minn.) punted the ball upfield and it went over the Knight back line where senior
Jack Isroff (Valparaiso, Ind.) only needed two touches near the penalty area to slot it past. The score would remain tied at one for 30 minutes until the 76th minute, when senior
Joe Flory (Whitchurch, England) started to make his mark on the match. Sophomore
Kieran Mahan (Wayzata, Minn.) chipped a ball over to junior
Cal Avery (Middleton, Wis.) whose shot was deflected. The ball rolled up the goalkeeper and into the air and Flory went full Karate Kid on Halloween to give Gustavus the lead. It only took Flory two minutes to double the Gustie lead and lock up an undefeated MIAC slate, this time on the ground. Senior
Darren Chukel (Hudson, Wis.) deflected a pass which ended at Flory's feet and he drove towards the right side of the net where he shot it past the goalkeeper on the near post. Flory's goals were good enough for a 3-1 result, ending the regular season 12-3-3 (8-0-2 MIAC).
Isroff and Flory led the team with two shots on goal each while Baker brought in the first assist of his goalkeeping career along with Avery's assist on Flory's first goal. Senior
Simon Woods (Sioux Falls, S.D.) put in another 90 minute shift and was the only outfield player to do so on Saturday. Baker made seven saves for Gustavus.
With the Gustie win and other results around the conference on Saturday, Gustavus locked up the No. 2 seed in the MIAC Men's Soccer Playoffs. Going 8-0-2 in the MIAC regular season, Gustavus becomes the only team in the 53-year history of the conference to go undefeated in conference play and not earn at least a share of a MIAC title. The Gustavus men's soccer team will await the result of the MIAC quarterfinals to see who they host at 2 p.m. on Thursday.
