NORTHFIELD, Minn. – The St. Olaf College men's soccer team rallied from 3-1 down in the second half to record a 4-3 victory over crosstown-rival Carleton College in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) opener for both teams on Wednesday at Rolf Mellby Field.

Carleton (4-2-0, 0-1-0 MIAC) scored three unanswered goals to take a 3-1 lead before St. Olaf (6-1-1, 1-0-0 MIAC) tallied the final three goals of the game, two after a red card to the Knights, to claim its fourth consecutive victory in the rivalry dating back to 2023. The four-game winning streak is the Oles' longest in the series since another four-game streak from 1998-2001.

Junior Ryan Bechtel and senior Ben Beckman scored two goals apiece for St. Olaf, with Beckman matching his career goal total entering the day and Bechtel adding an assist in the win. The Oles received votes in this week's United Soccer Coaches Top 25 poll and were ranked No. 4 in Region IX, while the Knights were ranked No. 7 in the region this week.

St. Olaf struck first in the 13th minute when Bechtel scored off a rebound after junior Abdirasak Bulale hit the post with an effort from the top of the box. Carleton leveled the game at halftime through a deflected shot by Finn Lennon in the 31st minute.

The Knights opened up a 3-1 lead with two goals in the first 12-plus minutes of the second half. Ben Pennell gave the visitors the lead with a shot from the right side of the box after a deflected cross fell at his feet. Pennell set up Carleton's third goal less than seven minutes later, as he squared the ball for Jonathan Vonderlage to slot home to make it 3-1 in favor of the Knights.

Trailing by two, St. Olaf responded less than two minutes later when Bechtel headed in a cross from senior Robi Buzakovic for his second goal of the game and fourth of the season. Bechtel has recorded at least a goal or an assist in each of the last six games and seven of St. Olaf's eight games this season.

Four minutes after Bechtel's goal made it a one-goal game, a Knight was given a second yellow card for a late challenge to reduce the visitors to 10 players for the final 27-plus minutes. St. Olaf profited on its numerical advantage with two goals from Beckman in the space of give minutes in the final 20 minutes, with the senior matching his goal total from the first 75 games of his career on the afternoon.

Beckman tied the game in the 72nd minute by redirecting a shot from Bechtel from the top of the box into the top-left corner from near the top of the six-yard box. Less than five minutes later, Beckman again was on hand in front of the net to tap in a rebound after Buzakovic nearly scored at the near post from the left side.

St. Olaf doubled up Carleton in shots, 24-12, in the game, although the difference in shots on goal was just 9-5. Sophomore Beckett Carlson remained undefeated on the season (3-0-1) after making two saves, while Leo Kugel had four stops for the Knights.

The Oles will be back at home on Saturday, Sept. 20 with a 1 p.m. kickoff against Macalester College, which was slotted one spot behind St. Olaf in this week's regional rankings.