NORTHFIELD, Minn. – The top-seeded and No. 11-ranked St. Olaf College men's soccer team will host fourth-seeded Macalester College in the semifinals of the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) Playoffs on Thursday afternoon.

St. Olaf, which won the regular-season MIAC title outright to secure the top seed and home-field advantage throughout the tournament, begins the tournament on its home turf at Rolf Mellby Field against Macalester at 2 p.m. The Oles did not lose a game in conference play for the second time in three years to earn the No. 1 seed and a bye into the semifinals, while the Scots advanced to the semifinals with a 2-0 home win over fifth-seeded Augsburg University in the quarterfinals on Monday afternoon.

Per MIAC policy, admission will be charged for the MIAC Playoffs. Tickets are $10 for adults and $2 for students with ID. Children five and under will be admitted for free. The St. Olaf Athletic Department will cover the cost of the tickets for St. Olaf students, but students must present their ID at the table. MIAC passes will be accepted, but no other passes will be honored. Live video and live stats will be available for those unable to attend the game.

In Monday's quarterfinal round, Macalester got a ninth-minute goal from Chris Frantz and a 57th-minute goal from Hans Haenicke – both resulting from corner kicks – to blank Augsburg and earn a date with St. Olaf in the semifinals. In the other quarterfinal, third-seeded Gustavus Adolphus College blanked sixth-seeded Saint John's University by a 2-0 score to book its spot in the semifinals opposite second-seeded Carleton College. The Johnnies and Knights will kick off at 11:30 a.m. on Thursday, with the two winning teams vying for the MIAC Playoff title and a spot in the NCAA Tournament in the championship game on Saturday, Nov. 4 at 1 p.m. at the site of the highest remaining seed.

St. Olaf secured the MIAC regular-season title outright and the top seed in the MIAC Playoffs with a 4-0 win at Concordia-Moorhead on Saturday afternoon and is making its 11th appearance in the tournament this season. The Oles have qualified for the MIAC Playoffs in each of the last four editions of the tournament, are 9-7 all-time in the tournament, and have won the title on three occasions (2011, 2015, 2022).

Macalester, which improved to 11-12 in the MIAC Playoffs with Monday's win, is in the tournament for the 14th time overall and the ninth time in a row. The Scots' lone MIAC Playoff title came in 2009 and the program's 11 victories are the third-highest total in the conference behind Gustavus (16) and Carleton (13).

Thursday's game will be the third meeting between the Oles and Scots in the MIAC Playoffs, with all three coming in the semifinals. Macalester has won both previous encounters, claiming a 1-0 home win in 2009 and a 2-0 road victory in 2004. The two teams played to a 1-1 tie in the regular-season meeting at Rolf Mellby Field on Sept. 30 after the Sots scored in the final 10 seconds. Senior Victor Gaulmin gave St. Olaf a 1-0 lead with a 62nd-minute free kick before Elijah Edelman curled home a shot with eight seconds to go to snatch a point for the visitors.