NORTHFIELD, Minn. – The top-seeded and No. 11-ranked St. Olaf College men's soccer team will host third-seeded Gustavus Adolphus College in the championship game of the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) Playoffs on Saturday afternoon.

St. Olaf and Gustavus will meet in the title game for the second year in a row at 1 p.m. at Rolf Mellby Field with the conference's automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament on the line. The Oles advanced to their third-straight MIAC Playoff championship game with a 2-1 victory over fourth-seeded Macalester College on Thursday, while the Gusties knocked off second-seeded and No. 12-ranked Carleton College by a 1-0 margin across town.

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 the semifinals, senior Victor Gaulmin scored once in each half to give St. Olaf a 2-0 lead early in the second half, but Macalester struck back through Elijah Edelman less than seven minutes after Gaulmin's second goal to make it a one-goal game. The Oles held on the rest of the way, however, to book their spot in the title game for the sixth time (2007, 2011, 2015, 2021, 2022, 2023). St. Olaf is 3-2 in its five previous MIAC Playoff championship games.

Earlier in the day, Gustavus got the lone goal of the game from Joe Flory in the 61st minute to deal Carleton just its second loss of the season and earn its spot in the championship game. The Gusties are back in the title game for the second season in a row and the ninth time in program history. Gustavus is 6-1-1 all-time in the championship game.

Saturday's game is the third-ever meeting between St. Olaf and Gustavus in the MIAC Playoffs, with the previous two also coming in the title game. The second-seeded Gusties blanked the fourth-seeded Oles, 2-0, in 2007 before St. Olaf returned the favor with a 2-1 win in St. Peter last season in a matchup of the top-two seeds. After the semifinal victories, the Gusties are 17-9 all-time in the MIAC Playoffs, with the 17 wins being the most of any program, while the Oles are 10-7.

Gustavus holds a 25-21-14 lead in the all-time series between the two programs, which will meet for the 61st time on Saturday. Fifteen of the previous 17 encounters dating back to 2008 have been decided by one goal or ended in a tie and none of the last 23 have been decided by more than two goals. When the two teams met in the regular season, Gustavus scored on the last kick of the game of a 2-2 weather-delayed and darkness-shortened tie at Rolf Mellby Field on Oct. 24.