NORTHFIELD, Minn. – Goals from first year Shea Bechtel and sophomore Hakeem Morgan sent the top-seeded and No. 12-ranked St. Olaf College men's soccer team to a 2-1 victory over sixth-seeded Saint John's University in the semifinals of the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) Playoffs on Wednesday afternoon at Rolf Mellby Field.

After the teams traded goals in the opening 10 minutes of the game, Morgan netted his 12th goal of the season in the 70th minute to send St. Olaf (17-1-1) into the tournament's championship game on Saturday. Saint John's (8-9-1) saw its season come to an end with the loss after upsetting third-seeded Gustavus to earn a spot in the semifinals.

On Saturday, the Oles will take on crosstown-rival and second-seeded Carleton after the Knights edged fifth-seeded Macalester, 1-0, in Northfield in Wednesday's other semifinal. The game will mark the second time the two programs have played for the playoff title with the first time coming in 2011 when the top-seeded Oles edged the second-seeded Knights, 3-2, in double overtime.

St. Olaf will be looking for its third MIAC Playoffs title after winning the tournament in 2011 and 2015, while Carleton will be in search of its fourth after claiming the title in 2008, 2013, and 2018.

Bechtel gave the Oles an early lead in the eighth minute, scoring his 11th goal of the season to mark his fourth-straight game with a goal. Sophomore Clemente Arcuch Puig set up the goal, sending the ball into the box where Bechtel turned it into the lower-left corner of the net with the outside of his right foot.

St. Olaf's lead only lasted two-and-a-half minutes, however, as Matt D. Anderson equalized in the 10th minute for the Johnnies. Anderson got on the end of a deep cross into the box, controlled it with his chest, and tapped the ball in from close range to tie the game at 1-1 and end the Oles' shutout streak at 191:55.

Sophomore Victor Gaulmin nearly gave St. Olaf the lead again in the 33rd minute but his shot from just over 20 yards out hit squarely off the crossbar, as the teams went into the halftime break tied at a goal apiece. The Oles held a 14-3 advantage in shots in the opening half.

With the score still tied, Morgan provided his fourth game-winning goal of the season with 20 minutes to go, curling a left-footed shot into the top-left corner of the net from outside the box after collecting a pass from senior Lucas Gaulmin.

Saint John's created one final scoring chance in the 77th minute when the ball fell to Tommy Picka in the box, but Picka could not find the target after scoring both of his team's goals in the Johnnies' quarterfinal win in St. Peter.

The victory was St. Olaf's 15th in a row, which is tied for the longest winning streak in program history along with a 15-game run from Sept. 5 – Oct. 23, 1999. The win also extended the Oles' unbeaten streak to 16 games (15-0-1), which is also the joint-longest in program history.

Sophomore Austin Williams picked up his 17th win of the season to tie the single-season program record set by Ross MacMullan (1999) and tied by Harry Ullmann (2011) with three saves. Evan Siefken had five saves in the loss for Saint John's.

Saturday's championship game will kick off at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 6. St. Olaf is also hosting the Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL) Cross Country Championships that day, so fans are advised to arrive early. Due to the meet, vehicles will not be allowed to come down the hill to park near Skoglund Center. Instead, fans should park in the parking lot by Rand Hall (view map) and walk down to Rolf Mellby Field.