SUPERIOR, Wis. - After a slow start to his season, sophomore
Kieran Mahan only needed five minutes to make the difference on Wednesday night, scoring a hat trick to lift the Gusties to a 3-0 win over UW-Superior.
Gustavus (1-1-1, 0-0-0 MIAC) got their first win of the season against last year's Upper Midwest Athletic Conference champion and automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, the UW-Superior Yellowjackets (1-1-1, 0-0-0 UMAC). Sophomore
Kieran Mahan (Wayzata, Minn.) proved his form from his 2025 campaign, where he was named MIAC Rookie of the Year, can continue in 2026, scoring three goals in just under three minutes to secure the win.
Mahan's first goal was played to his feet by junior
Evan Afdahl (Eden Prairie, Minn.) from just inside midfield when the right back played it to the top of the penalty area, where Mahan was able to shield a defender off. After the Wayzata native took a touch, he used his left foot to find the bottom right corner and wrong foot the Yellowjacket goalkeeper for Mahan's first points of the season.
The second goal came after junior transfer
Henrry Abarca-Gonzalez (Des Moines, Iowa) picked up a bouncing ball from his spot in center midfield and passed it off to Mahan with some space in front of him. Mahan took a touch to settle the ball and once again found the trusty bottom right corner to double the Gustie lead and land himself a brace in just 3:14 of game time.
The third goal came not even two minutes later, after a long ball played by junior
Jacob Walker (Chicago, Ill.) was misplayed by the Yellowjacket goalkeeper. Mahan was able to take advantage of the miscue and bring home his hat-trick, ending his five-minute reign of terror over Superior Choice Credit Union Stadium.
The spell of five minutes was all the Gusties needed and proved to be the one major difference between the teams in the match. Gustavus held a 9-5 shots on goal advantage over UW-Superior and defended well on set pieces, keeping a shutout while allowing seven corner kicks.
Mahan led with four shots, all of which were on goal in 63 minutes of action while Afdahl and senior
Simon Woods (Sioux Falls, S.D.) were the two outfield players who completed the full 90 minutes. Junior goalkeeper
Jackson Baker (Excelsior, Minn.) kept the shutout on Wednesday night as well, marking his first of the season and the fourth of his career.
After a win over the Yellowjackets, the Gusties return home to continue one of the hardest non-conference starts to a season across the country, taking on No. 25 Luther College at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, September 12th.
