The 2012 men's soccer team. Photo courtesy of Sport PiX.
The Gustavus Adolphus men’s soccer team is set to host the first annual Gustie Classic Invitational this weekend in St. Peter, Minn. Gustavus welcomes non-conference opponents UC-Santa Cruz and the University of Puget Sound, along with Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference foe St. Thomas to campus for this weekend’s tournament.
Play will begin on Friday, Aug. 31 with St. Thomas taking on Puget Sound at 2:00 p.m. The Tommies finished its 2011 season with an overall record of 7-6-2, finishing sixth in the MIAC with a mark of 4-4-2. The Puget Sound Loggers went 11-6 overall last season and finished third in the Northwest Conference with a record of 10-4.
Friday’s second match will feature host Gustavus taking on UC-Santa Cruz at 4:00 p.m. The Banana Slugs will look to avenge last season’s 1-0 loss to the Gusties in Santa Cruz, Calif. Gustavus went on to tally a 14-2-3 overall record, finishing third in the MIAC with a mark of 6-1-3. UC-Santa Cruz, an NCAA Division III Independent institution, is coming off a 9-9 campaign in 2011.
Sunday’s matches will begin with St. Thomas battling UC-Santa Cruz at 12:00 p.m. followed by Gustavus facing Puget Sound at 2:00 p.m. The Gustavus Classic will conclude with UC-Santa Cruz going up against Puget Sound at 1:00 p.m. on Monday.
Live stats will be provided for all of this weekend’s matches via the link below.
Tournament Schedule
Friday, Aug. 31
St. Thomas vs. Puget Sound – 2:00 p.m.
Gustavus vs. UC-Santa Cruz – 4:00 p.m.
Sunday, Sept. 2
St. Thomas vs. UC-Santa Cruz – 12:00 p.m.
Gustavus vs. Puget Sound – 2:00 p.m.
Monday, Sept. 3
UC-Santa Cruz vs. Puget Sound – 1:00 p.m.
Match Notes
• The Gustavus men’s soccer team has met Puget Sound and UC-Santa Cruz a combined eight times heading into this weekend’s tournament. Gustavus holds a 2-0-1 advantage against the Loggers, while the Banana Slugs carry a 3-2 mark against the Gusties.
• Gustavus Head Coach Mike Middleton will be stepping onto the pitch for the 38th and 39th times this weekend. In two seasons at the head of the program, Middleton has gone 24-7-6 overall an 11-4-6 in the MIAC. In his collegiate coaching career, he has compiled a record of 175-67-19 (.707).
• Gustavus registered a goals against average of just 0.48 last season, ranking them first the MIAC and fourth in NCAA Division III.
• The Gustie offensive attack exploded for 57 goals in 2011, leading the conference and ranking 21st in the nation. It was only the second time in the past decade that a Gustavus team has tallied over 50 goals in a season.
• Since 1990, Gustavus holds a .735 (133-41-22) winning percentage at the Gustie Soccer field in St. Peter, Minn.