SAINT PETER, Minn. – It all comes down to the final match of the season with the winner taking home the MIAC championship. The Gustavus men’s soccer team travels to Macalester for a 3:30 p.m. match Saturday with both teams boasting 22 points in the conference standings at 7-1-1. The Gusties, ranked No. 1 in the North Region, are 13-2-1 overall, while the Scots are 10-4-3 on the season. Gustavus is seeking its first MIAC regular season championship since 2013 while the Scots last won the title in 2015.
The Series: Saturday’s match marks the 64th all-time meeting between Gustavus and Macalester on the soccer pitch with the Gusties holding a 40-16-7 lead in the series. Last season, the Gusties defeated the Scots 2-0 in the regular season finale before Macalester got revenge in the MIAC semifinals with a 1-0 victory.
Scouting the Gusties: Gustavus has won eight of its last nine matches, most recently defeating Buena Vista 7-1 on Wednesday. After 16 matches this season, the Gusties average 2.38 goals per game and concede 0.81. Matt Gibbons (So., Minneapolis, Minn.) leads the league with 24 points on seven goals and a MIAC-leading 10 assists. Arthur Parens (Sr., Wayzata, Minn.) has a team-leading nine goals, which ranks second in the conference. Anders Severson (Sr., Woodbury, Minn.) boasts a 0.63 goals against average and .860 save percentage, both ranking second in the MIAC.
Scouting the Scots: After losing to Luther 2-0 on Oct. 15 and tying St. Scholastica 1-1 on Oct. 17, Macalester has won its last two matches against Saint Mary’s 4-0 and Saint John’s 3-0. The Scots average 1.59 goals per game and allow 0.76. Clayton Smith leads the offense with seven goals. Logan Harper is next on the stat sheet with four goals and two assists for 10 points. Colton Wenig has started 16 matches in goal with a 0.72 goals against average and 0.789 save percentage.