SAINT PETER, Minn. – The Gustavus men’s soccer team is set to host Augsburg in a MIAC semifinal match at 2 p.m. Wednesday at the Gustie Soccer Field. The No. 1 Gusties earned the MIAC regular season title with an 8-1-1 record and are 14-2-1 overall. The No. 5 Auggies (12-3-2) advanced to the semifinals by defeating St. Thomas in penalty kicks today.
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2018 MIAC MEN’S SOCCER PLAYOFF SCHEDULE
Quarterfinals – Oct. 30
No. 3 Macalester (11-5-3) def. No. 6 Hamline (7-7-1) 3-1
No. 5 Augsburg (12-3-2) def. No. 4 St. Thomas (14-4-1) on penalty kicks
Semifinals – Oct. 31
No. 5 Augsburg at No. 1 Gustavus (14-2-1) 2 p.m.
No. 3 Macalester at No. 2 Carleton (14-2-1) 2 p.m.
Finals – Nov. 3
Semifinal winners at highest remaining seed, 1 p.m.
GUSTIES IN THE MIAC PLAYOFFS
The MIAC Men’s Soccer Playoffs began in 2003 and since then Gustavus has made 13 appearances with a record of 11-7, including a league-best six championships. After capturing the playoff title during the 2014 season, the Gusties missed the postseason in 2015, fell in a quarterfinal matchup against Augsburg in 2016, and lost in the semifinals to Macalester last year.
LAST TIME OUT
The Gustavus men’s soccer team Saturday added to the storied legacy of the program, earning its record 15th Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championship with a 1-0 overtime victory at Macalester. It marked the first regular season title for the Gusties since 2013 as they completed the 2018 MIAC season 8-1-1.
The match was a true conference championship game as the Scots also entered with 22 points and a 7-1-1 league record.
The golden goal came in the 99th minute after a free kick, which was a result of a Macalester yellow card. On the set piece, Matt Gibbons (So., Minneapolis, Minn.) fired the free kick on goal from 30 yards out. The keeper made a diving save to his right, but the rebound deflected directly to Arthur Parens (Sr., Wayzata, Minn.) who tapped in his team-leading 10th goal of the season.
SCOUTING THE GUSTIES
After 17 regular season matches, the Gusties average 2.29 goals and concede 0.76 per match. Gustavus also averages more than seven shots per match than its opponents. Gibbons leads the team and the MIAC with 25 points on seven goals and 11 assists. Parens leads the team with 10 goals (2nd/MIAC). Anders Severson (Sr., Woodbury, Minn.) has started the past 14 matches in goal with a 0.58 goals against average and .871 save percentage – both second best in the MIAC.
SCOUTING THE AUGGIES
Tuesday’s quarterfinal match against St. Thomas saw 110 minutes of scoreless play, resulting in penalty kicks to decide a winner. The Auggies were able to come out on top with a 3-2 advantage in penalty kicks. Through 16 matches, the Auggies average 2.31 goals and concede 0.69 per match. Emmanuel Egbujor leads the offense with 19 points on eight goals and three assists. Nick Zuchowski is next on the stat sheet with six goals and three assists for 15 points. Garrett Kaelin has started 11 matches in goal with a 0.63 goals against average and a .891 save percentage.