NORTHFIELD, Minn. – The top-seeded and No. 1-ranked St. Olaf College men's soccer team will host fourth-seeded Carleton College in the semifinals of the 2026 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) Men's Soccer Playoffs on Thursday afternoon.

After winning its fourth consecutive and 11th overall MIAC regular-season title, St. Olaf (16-0-3) earned the No. 1 seed, home-field advantage throughout its run in the tournament, and a bye into the semifinals. The Oles will face their crosstown rivals at 2 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 5 after Carleton (11-6-1) staged a second-half comeback to down fifth-seeded Macalester College in the quarterfinals on Tuesday.

In Tuesday's quarterfinal, Carleton trailed Macalester by a 2-0 margin at halftime before scoring four second-half goals, including two in the final 2:13, to move on with a 4-2 victory. The other semifinal will see third-seeded Saint John's University travel to second-seeded Gustavus Adolphus College for a 2 p.m. start after the Johnnies held off sixth-seeded Augsburg University, 3-2, on Tuesday in Collegeville.

The game will be streamed live on the MIAC Sports Network in a pay-per-view format. Prices are $10 for any individual game or $25 for a "championship pass", which is good for the entire tournament. Games will not be available on demand until after the NCAA Tournament concludes. Live statistics will also be available. All tickets will be sold and purchased online via HomeTown Ticketing. Prices (plus fees) are $12 for general admission, $3 for students with ID, and children five and under are admitted for free.

St. Olaf landed the top seed and won the regular-season title outright by going 9-0-1 in conference play for its fifth undefeated MIAC regular season in the last six years. The Oles are making their 14th overall appearance in the MIAC Playoffs, their seventh in a row, and are 14-8-0 all-time in the tournament. St. Olaf has won five MIAC Playoff titles (2011, 2025, 2022-24), including three in a row from 2022-24, and has won its last six semifinals.

Carleton is amid its 18th appearance in the MIAC Playoffs after seeing its run of 17 consecutive berths come to an end last season. The Knights hold a 12-12-3 record all-time in the field and fell in the semifinals in their two most recent appearances in 2023 and 2024.

Thursday's semifinal will make St. Olaf vs. Carleton the second most-played matchup in the MIAC Playoffs, as the two teams will meet for the sixth time. Gustavus and Saint John's will meet for the ninth time on Thursday. The Knights have won each of the last three encounters in the MIAC Playoffs, including a 2-1 win in the title game in 2021, after the Oles won the first two in 2007 (semifinal) and 2011 (championship). St. Olaf scored three late goals to claim a 3-0 win in the regular-season meeting back on Sept. 30 at Bell Field for its fifth consecutive victory in the series.