NORTHFIELD, Minn. – The third-ranked St. Olaf College men's soccer team scored three times in less than nine minutes in the first half to break a 1-1 tie and went on to down Bethany Lutheran College by a 7-1 margin on Friday afternoon at Rolf Mellby Field.
After St. Olaf (5-0-0) scored just over two minutes in, Bethany Lutheran (1-4-1) tied the game in the 13th minute, but the Oles responded with three goals between the 21st and 30th minutes to take a 4-1 halftime lead. St. Olaf tacked on three more goals in the second half in its 18th consecutive win in the series, a streak that started in 1986.
St. Olaf's 5-0-0 start to the season is the first time the Oles have opened the season with five consecutive victories since 2011 and the sixth 5-0-0 start in program history. The Oles were ranked No. 3 in the United Soccer Coaches Preseason Poll last month. The first regular-season poll will be released this coming Tuesday.
Junior
Jack Soares led the way for St. Olaf with the second hat trick of his collegiate career, with the first coming in a 4-1 win over Pacific Lutheran University on August 29, 2025. Junior
Ryan Wilson added a goal and two assists, while senior
Ryan Bechtel had a goal and an assist. Junior
Lucas Montera and first year
Pablo Stewart provided the other two goals.
Soares got the scoring started just 2:07 in by poking the ball in from close range after Bechtel's cross made its way to Soares in front via a touch from junior
Charlie Piller. The Vikings got a tying goal from Rosalem Tendaie a little over 10 minutes later, as Tendaie outran the St. Olaf defense down the right and slid the ball in at the near post.
Soares restored St. Olaf's lead in the 21st minute after Wilson got by a Viking defender on the left and centered the ball to Soares. Montera made it 3-1 less than five minutes later when his left-footed cross from the right wing went through everyone and in at the back post. Bechtel capped the three-goal flurry by firing the ball into the top-left corner of the net after receiving a pass from Montera.
Early in the second half, the Oles extended their lead to 6-1 after Soares completed his hat trick in the 49th minute and Wilson got his first goal of the season in the 52nd minute. First year
Pablo Stewart capped the scoring by tapping in a rebound off a shot by junior
Willy Vargas Jr. in the 69th minute.
St. Olaf dominated the shot count by a 26-10 margin overall and a 14-2 differential in shots on goal. Junior
Beckett Carlson picked up the win despite not making a save in the first 51-plus minutes before first year
Theo Menk had one save over the remaining 38-plus minutes in his collegiate debut. Brady Price recorded seven saves for the visitors.
Next up for the Oles is a trip to Kenosha, Wis. to face Carthage College at 4 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 13.
