DULUTH, Minn. – The No. 10-ranked St. Olaf College men's soccer team completed a perfect 10-0-0 run through Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) play with a 1-0 road victory over the College of St. Scholastica on Saturday at Saints Field.
First year
Shea Bechtel scored the lone goal of the game in the 47th minute as St. Olaf (16-1-1, 10-0-0 MIAC) became the fifth team in the history of the conference to win all 10 of its MIAC games. St. Scholastica (7-10-1, 3-6-1 MIAC) saw its hopes of securing a playoff berth come to an end with the loss.
Prior to this season, the Oles had never completed a perfect run through the 10-game Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) schedule. Prior to this season, only St. Thomas (2017), Gustavus (2013), and Macalester (1990, 2001) had accomplished the feat.
St. Olaf outshot St. Scholastica by a 16-0 margin in the opening 45 minutes but was unable to find a goal until Bechtel netted his 10th goal of the season less than two minutes into the second half. Bechtel's goal came off an assist from sophomore
Jordan Oberholtzer, who dribbled past multiple Saints' defenders on the left side of the box near the end line before finding Bechtel in the middle for a tap in.
The Oles limited the hosts to just one shot in the game, an off-target effort in the 72nd minute, in their 14th-straight victory. The 14-game winning streak is one game shy of the longest in program history which was established by the 1999 team from Sept. 5 – Oct. 23. St. Olaf's 15-game unbeaten streak (14-0-1) is also one off the program record set at the start of the 1999 season.
Bechtel paced the Oles with six shots and five shots on goal in the win. Sophomore
Austin Williams did not have a save to make on his way to recording his fourth shutout of the season. Liam Lothian had 10 saves for the Saints.
After clinching the MIAC regular-season title and the No. 1 seed in the MIAC Playoffs earlier in the week, St. Olaf has a bye into the semifinals. The Oles will host the lowest remaining seed following Monday's quarterfinals between on Wednesday, Nov. 3 at 2 p.m.
Monday's quarterfinal matchups feature No. 6 seed Saint John's at No. 3 seed Gustavus and No. 5 seed Macalester at No. 4 seed Augsburg.
