NORTHFIELD, Minn. – The fourth-ranked St. Olaf College men's soccer team blanked UW-Superior, 3-0, in the first round of the NCAA Division III Men's Soccer Championship on Saturday at Rolf Mellby Field.

Senior Caspar Olseth and sophomore Kymani Chitulangoma scored first-half goals on set pieces for St. Olaf (17-2-3), which also got a second-half goal from sophomore Charlie Piller to defeat UW-Superior (16-7-0) in a rematch of last year's second-round meeting. The victory also avenged one of the Oles' two prior losses this season, a 3-2 road loss to the Yellowjackets on Sept. 12.

The victory was St. Olaf's seventh in a row in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament and set up a second-round meeting with Luther College on Sunday, Nov. 16 at 1 p.m. The Norse claimed a 4-1 victory over Lake Forest College in the second game of the day.

Olseth opened the scoring for St. Olaf with a back heel shortly after a corner kick in the ninth minute for his third goal of the season. The goal was the 15th of Olseth's career.

Chitulangoma doubled the Oles' lead in the 36th minute by heading in a corner kick by sophomore Daniel Valdes for Chitulangoma's sixth goal of the year. Valdes picked up his first collegiate assist on the goal.

St. Olaf held UW-Superior without a shot on goal in the game, although the Yellowjackets nearly halved their deficit when Harvey McLoughlin's shot clipped the top of the crossbar and went over in the 65th minute. Piller tallied the lone goal of the second half in the 78th minute, finishing off cross from the right wing from first year Tustin Todd after Todd got the ball from senior Ben Beckman.

St. Olaf's 17 victories this season are tied for the third-highest total in program history, two behind the 2021 team and three behind the 2023 national championship team.