The Gustavus men’s soccer team will to travel to Northfield, Minn. to take on Carleton in the first round of the MIAC Playoffs on Tuesday, Nov. 2 at 2:00 p.m. The Gusties finished in third place in the conference standings with 21 points after going 6-1-3 in league play. Carleton earned a share of the 2011 MIAC regular season title with St. Olaf after compiling 22 points with a record of 7-2-1 in the conference.
Tuesday’s match will be the second meeting between Gustavus and Carleton this season. The two squads played to a 1-1 tie on Oct 1, in Northfield. Shots were a plenty in the first meeting as the two teams combined for 35 shots in the contest. Carleton had the slight shot advantage at 18-17. Gustavus goalkeeper Brett Ylonen went all 110:00 minutes, making six saves, as did Carleton’s James Neher who made seven saves.
Within league play this season, Gustavus finished the year as the top scoring team in the MIAC. The Gusties scored 23 goals for an average of 2.30 goals per match. Carleton ranked sixth in the league in scoring, registering a total of 15 goals for an average of 1.50 goals per match.
The Gustie defense has proven itself to be one of the best in the nation from the start of the season. Gustavus allowed a total seven goals against MIAC opponents this year, the second fewest in the league. The Gusties also rank fifth nationally in total goals allowed at 0.44 per match.
Freshman attacker Zach Brown finished the regular season in fourth place in the MIAC in league scoring with five goals and one assist for 11 points. Justin Eglseder and Doug Frey also cracked the top-10 in points scored, as the two seniors each recorded five goals for 10 points, ending up in a five-way tie for seventh.
Rookie keeper Brett Ylonen finished the conference season with the top save percentage in the league at .854. He allowed seven goals in eight games for a goals against average of 0.81 (3rd/MIAC). Ylonen’s overall goals against average of 0.54 ranks 15th in the NCAA, while his save percentage of .860 ranks 25th.
It is Head Coach Mike Middleton’s first trip to the MIAC Playoffs as the Gusties qualified for post-season play for the first time in two years. The Gusties earned the No. 2 seed in the MIAC Playoffs in 2008, falling to Augsburg 3-0 in the first round.
Carleton will be providing a live video feed and live stats for the match via the link below.