ST. PETER, Minn. – The second-ranked St. Olaf College men's soccer team preserved its unbeaten season with a 1-1 tie against regionally-ranked Gustavus Adolphus College in a matchup of the top-two teams in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) standings on Tuesday afternoon at Gustie Soccer Field.
Gustavus (11-3-3, 7-0-2 MIAC) opened the scoring in the 39th minute and led for nearly 40 minutes before junior
Blaine Batchelor headed in an equalizer for St. Olaf (15-0-3, 8-0-1 MIAC) with just under 15 minutes remaining. The tie kept both teams unbeaten in conference play and left the Oles two points ahead of the Gusties atop the MIAC heading into the final round of regular-season games on Saturday.
With the tie, St. Olaf, which extended its MIAC regular-season unbeaten streak to 41 games (35-0-6), was one of four remaining unbeaten teams in NCAA Division III this season after top-ranked Middlebury College fell from the ranks on Tuesday. The Oles moved up to No. 2 in the United Soccer Coaches national poll and stayed atop the Region IX rankings on Tuesday afternoon, while the Gusties were ranked No. 4 regionally.
Scoring chances were few and far between in the opening 45 minutes, but Gustavus generated the opening goal off its own goal kick in the 39th minute. After playing the ball long, the Gusties won a pair of headers to get Kieran Mahan in behind, and Mahan slotted the ball home for his team-leading 12th goal of the season. Gustavus held a 5-3 edge in shots in the opening 45 minutes.
St. Olaf turned the shot count around in the second half, outshooting the hosts by an 8-4 margin, and was rewarded with Batchelor's tying goal. After the Oles won the ball back in the midfield, St. Olaf got the ball wide to senior
Ryan Bechtel, whose cross found the head of Batchelor for a bullet header for Batchelor's second goal of the season. Bechtel's assist moved him into a four-way tie for fifth place in program history with 85 career points.
Six minutes before Batcehlor's goal, junior
Beckett Carlson kept the Oles within a goal by producing a kick save to dent Cal Avery on a breakaway. The stop was one of just two saves on the afternoon for Carlson. Jackson Baker had just one save for Gustavus, as the two teams combined for just five shots on goal on the afternoon. Shots ended up 11-9 in St. Olaf's favor, while the Gusties had the edge in corner kicks (9-7).
The Oles will close out the regular season and look to claim the MIAC regular-season title with a 3 p.m. kickoff at Hamline University on Saturday, Oct. 31.
