CHICAGO, Ill. – The St. Olaf College men's soccer team saw its season come to an end in a penalty shootout following a 2-2 tie against fifth-ranked Gustavus Adolphus College in its second-straight "Sweet 16" appearance on Saturday afternoon in the 2022 NCAA Division III Men's Soccer Championship at Stagg Field on the campus of the University of Chicago.

In the third meeting between the two Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) rivals this season, St. Olaf (15-5-2) held leads of 1-0 and 2-1 early in each half, but Gustavus (15-1-6) responded less than 10 minutes later on both occasions to tie the game. After the game advanced all the way to a shootout, the Gusties won the shootout, 4-3, to advance to the sectional final where they will meet second-ranked UChicago on Sunday for a spot in the national semifinals.

In the shootout, both teams converted on their first attempts before Gustavus goalkeeper Wesley Sanders made a kick save on St. Olaf's second attempt to give the Gusties the upper hand. The next Gustie shooter fired the ball well over the next, but the Oles rattled the top-left corner of the goal in what proved to be the decisive miss. The final five shooters of the shootout all scored, as Clarence Weah netted the clinching penalty kick for Gustavus.

The loss brought an end to the careers of seniors Lucas Gaulmin, Max Eisenfeld, Lance Halberg, Ethan Niles, Cole Beaton, Ben Steil, and Noah Mock. The group helped lead St. Olaf to back-to-back "Sweet 16" appearances over the last two seasons, making the Oles one of five programs in the country to accomplish that feat, as well as a MIAC regular-season title last season and a MIAC Playoffs title this year.

After yielding the opening goal in each of the previous two matchups this season, it took St. Olaf less than five minutes to get on the board first, as a Gustavus defender turned in a ball played across the front of the goal from the left end line by junior Casey McCloskey just 4:31 into the game. The Oles nearly doubled their lead just two minutes later when junior Jordan Oberholtzer beat a defender on the right side of the box before drawing a save down low from Sanders.

Gustavus got even at a goal apiece in the 13th minute when Raphael Cattelin scored the first of his two goals on the afternoon. Owen Johnson slid the ball through to Cattelin on the left side of the box and Cattelin fired a shot that sophomore Peter Forseth nearly kept out, but the ball crept over the line for the tying goal.

Just four minutes after Cattelin's goal, Forseth denied Johnson in a 1-on-1 situation after Cattelin forced a turnover and slid the ball to a wide-open Johnson in the middle. The teams eventually went into the locker room tied at a goal apiece after Sanders thwarted a lobbed attempt by sophomore Shea Bechtel in the final 15 minutes of the half following an errant header back by a Gustie defender.

Like in the first half, St. Olaf grabbed an early goal in the second half to go back on top, as Bechtel scored on a breakaway in the 50th minute after being played in by junior Hakeem Morgan for the sophomore's ninth goal of the season. Bechtel's 33 points (nine goals, 15 assists) this season are tied for the sixth-highest single-season total in program history.

The Oles' lead lasted just four and a half minutes, however, as Cattelin netted his second goal of the game in the 54th minute, slotting the ball into an empty net off a feed from Johnson, who got in behind the St. Olaf defense. The Gusties had a pair of chances less than two minutes apart to take a 3-2 lead late on, but Cattelin fired wide of the near post on the right on a 3-on-2 break in the 74th minute and Forseth thwarted Johnson again in a 1-on-1 encounter less than two minutes later.

After 90 minutes could not separate the teams, St. Olaf had the lone presentable chance of the first 10-minute overtime period, but junior Clemente Arcuch Puig's back-post header off a Morgan corner kick sailed wide of the far post. The lone save either goalkeeper had to make in the second overtime was a 102nd-minute stop by Sanders on a drive by first year Robi Buzakovic.

St. Olaf's 34 victories over the last two seasons are the most wins in consecutive seasons in program history.