Fraser Horton battles for possession with a Bethel player.
Justin Eglseder heads the ball out of the Gustie end of the field.
Mark Adams battles for possession.
Max Malmquist (left) celebrates with Brett VanderStreek.
The Gustavus men’s soccer team stayed unbeaten in the month of October with a 2-0 win in St. Peter on Saturday afternoon. The Gusties recorded two goals late in the match to claim the victory. Brett VanderStreek gave the team a 1-0 lead with a goal in the 80th minute and then Max Malmquist extended the lead to 2-0 with a goal in the 85th minute. Luke Strom recorded the shutout win in the nets for Gustavus. The Gusties improved to 10-2-1 overall and 6-1-0 in the MIAC.
Gustavus controlled play in the first 45 minutes of the match outshooting the Royals 8-1, but Bethel goalkeeper Nick Kanto made three saves and the score was tied 0-0 at the intermission. In the second half, the Gusties kept up the pressure as the team controlled play and recorded 17 shots. Kantor kept the Royals even until the final 10 minutes when the relentless Gustavus pressure led to the goal by VanderStreek at 79:55 and the Malmquist goal at 84:12. VanderStreek’s goal was a header off a cross from Flynn Stewart-Franzen, who was credited with the assist. The final goal resulted in a sharp pass from VanderStreek which ended up on the foot of Malmquist, who one timed it into the right corner at 84:12.
The Gusties ended the match with a 25-3 advantage in shots and a 7-4 advantage in corner kicks. Nick Kantor made eight saves and allowed two goals in the nets for the Royals, while Luke Strom was not required to make a save in goal for Gustavus. Strom recorded his seventh shutout of the season.
Brett VanderStreek recorded his third game-winning goal of the season which is tied for the most in the MIAC.
Gustavus got some help in the race for the conference title as Augsburg defeated Carleton 1-0 on Saturday afternoon in Northfield. Carleton is now 6-1-1 (13 points) in league play, while the Gusties are right behind the Knights at 6-1-0 (12 points).
The Gusties will travel to Decorah, Iowa to play Luther College in a non-conference match on Wednesday night at 7:00 pm.