Game Information:
Date: Saturday, September 19
Time: 1 p.m.
Location: St. Peter, Minn. | Gustie Soccer Field
Playing Surface: Natural Grass
Live Coverage: Live Stats
ST. PETER, Minn. – The Gustavus Adolphus men’s soccer team will open conference play on Saturday afternoon when it hosts St. Olaf College in a 1 p.m. matchup. After Wednesday’s scheduled conference opener with Macalester College was postponed due to lightning, the Gusties remain at 5-0-0, the first time the program has begun a season with five consecutive wins since 2011. The last time Gustavus began its season with six straight wins was in 2000 when it began 6-0-0 en route to an MIAC Championship.
Gustavus has yet to allow a goal this season, as it is coming off two shutouts in games against Principia College and Greenville College this past Friday and Saturday, respectively. In Friday’s game with Principia, Matt Murakami (So., Eden Prarie, Minn.), Ian Smith (Amherst, Fy., N.H.), and Connor Danielson (Sr., Duluth, Minn.) each scored goals in a 3-0 victory. On Saturday against Greenville, Patrick Roth (Jr., Stillwater, Minn.) scored twice, with both goals coming off assists from Eli Bjerk (Sr., Stillwater, Minn). Matt Jacobs (So., Mankato, Minn.) and Eli Orellana (Fy., Lansing, Mich.) also scored for the Gusties, while first-year goalie Anders Severson (Lino Lakes, Minn.) earned his fifth collegiate shutout in as many games.
St. Olaf is coming off a 2014 season in which it earned the regular season MIAC championship and enters Saturday’s game with an overall mark of 2-4-0 and a record of 1-0-0 in the MIAC in 2015. The Oles last played Wednesday against Bethel University in Northfield, Minnesota and came away with a 3-1 victory. St. Olaf was able to get out to an early 2-0 lead thanks to goals from Henrik Kowalkowski and Jens Undlin in the 30th and 46th minutes, respectively. However, the Royals cut that lead in half when Bethel goalkeeper Jakob Bartels used a strong wind at his back to send a booming punt all the way to the other end of the field, where it bounced over Ole goalie Ben Braman and into the net in the 68th minute. Twelve minutes later though, the Oles brought the lead back to two when Aaron Miller scored his second goal of the season to secure a 3-1 win.
Saturday’s meeting will be the 51st meeting between Gustavus and St. Olaf in men’s soccer. The Gusties hold a slight advantage in the all-time series with a 21-18-11 record against the Oles, with the last result being a 1-1 tie on October 4, 2014 in Northfield.