NORTHFIELD, Minn. – The top-seeded and fourth-ranked St. Olaf College men's soccer team suffered a 4-1 loss to second-seeded Macalester College in the championship game of the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) Playoffs on Saturday afternoon at Rolf Mellby Field.

After a scoreless first half, Macalester (15-4-0) scored three times in a 23-minute span to break the deadlock and went on to defeat St. Olaf (16-2-3) to claim the second MIAC Playoff title in program history. Both teams entered the game already essentially having locked up spots in the NCAA Tournament, with the Oles coming in at No. 2 and the Scots at No. 11 in the most recent update to the NCAA Power Index (NPI).

The loss brought an end to St. Olaf's 16-game unbeaten streak (14-0-2) and was the first home defeat of the season for the Oles, who were in search of an unprecedented fourth consecutive MIAC Playoff title. The game marked the fifth season in a row St. Olaf advanced to the title game and the eighth championship-game appearance in program history.

Macalester outshot St. Olaf by a 7-3 margin in the opening half but had to wait for the second half to break through. Ondieki Maina scored in the 50th and 64th minutes to give the Scots a 2-0 lead before Kasdan Blattman curled one into the top corner to make it 3-0 in the 73rd minute.

Sophomore Jack Soares netted his team-leading 12th goal of the season a little over five minutes after Blattman's goal to give the Oles hope of a late comeback. In the closing minutes, Gaven Johnson scored on a breakaway into an open net with St. Olaf's goalkeeper up field following an attacking free kick.

St. Olaf will await word of where and who it will play in the NCAA Tournament, which will be announced during the selection show on Monday, Nov. 10 at 10:30 a.m. CST on NCAA.com