NORTHFIELD, Minn. – The third-ranked St. Olaf College men's soccer team overcame an early goal by No. 22-ranked Saint John's University before rallying for a 3-1 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) victory on Wednesday afternoon at Rolf Mellby Field.
Saint John's (13-2-2, 5-2-1 MIAC) scored inside the first four minutes, but St. Olaf (14-0-2, 7-0-0 MIAC) tied the game midway through the first half and scored twice in the first 15 minutes of the second half to run its MIAC regular-season unbeaten streak to 39 games (33-0-6). The Oles entered the day as one of six remaining undefeated teams in NCAA Division III this season.
The victory was St. Olaf's second of the season against a nationally-ranked team, along with a 1-0 victory at the then No. 20-ranked University of Chicago on Sept. 2, 2026. The win also snapped the Johnnies' unbeaten streak at eight games (6-0-2) and locked up a spot in the MIAC Playoffs for the Oles. Saint John's entered the game having conceded only four goals on the season and as the NCAA all-division leader in goals per game (3.81).
Saint John's jumped out to an early 1-0 lead when Aiden Buckneberg slotted the ball home from close range after Jacob Oliver and Soren Benson combined to find Buckneberg in the box. The Oles got the goal back in the 23rd minute when junior
Charlie Piller picked out the top-right corner from the top of the box after getting the ball from junior
Ryan Wilson. Piller's goal was his fourth of the season and first in seven games.
Just over four minutes into the second half, St. Olaf got the eventual game-winning goal from sophomore
Tustin Todd, who curled a free kick over the wall from just outside the box for his fourth goal of the season. All four of Todd's goals have come in the last seven games.
In the 59th minute, the Oles added an insurance goal from junior
Lucas Montera on the counter attack, as Montera curled the ball into the top-right portion of the next after sophomore
Jay Carroll unselfishly slid the ball over to Montera. Carroll picked up his third assist of the season on Montera's fourth goal of the year.
After Montera's goal, Saint John's had the bulk of the possession, but St. Olaf's defense preserved the two-goal margin. The Oles finished the game with a 13-12 edge in shots, including a 9-4 margin in shots on goal. Junior
Beckett Carlson made three saves in his 14th victory of the season, while
Alex Keekley had five stops for the Johnnies.
St. Olaf will finish the regular season with three consecutive road games, starting with a 3:30 p.m. kickoff at Bethel University on Saturday, Oct. 24.
