SAINT PETER, Minn. – The Gustavus men’s soccer team will look to keep three-game winning streak going when they host Bethel on Wednesday for a 3:30 p.m. contest. The Gusties enter the contest 10-2 overall and 4-1 in the MIAC while the Royals are 6-7 overall and 1-5 in the conference.
The Series: Wednesday’s contest marks the 55th all-time meeting between the Gusties and Royals with Gustavus currently holding a 35-11-8 and winning the last 15 matchups. Last season when the two teams met on Oct. 6, the Gusties scored the first three goals of the contest en rout to a 3-1 win. David Almaer scored the first goal for Gustavus before Matt Gibbons (Jr., Minneapolis) scored the last two, both unassisted.
Scouting the Gusties: Gustavus comes into the contest most recently defeating Saint John’s 3-2 in 2OT Sunday. The Gusties currently lead the MIAC in goals scored (43), shots per game (21.1), and assists (46). Cole Schwartz (So., Jakarta, Indonesia) currently ranks second in the conference with 31 points, while Raphael Cattelin (Fy., Edina) and Gibbons rank third and fifth respectively, with 28 and 22 points. Wesley Sanders (Fy., Urbandale, Iowa) has started every game in net and is currently tied atop the conference leaderboard with an .800 save percentage.
Scouting the Royals: Bethel is most recently coming off a 2-1 OT loss to Saint Mary’s Saturday. The Royals have struggled to find the back of the net, scoring just 17 goals this season which ranks last in the MIAC. In net however, Bethel has made 60 saves which leads the conference. Connor Nelson leads the team this season with six goals and four assists for 16 points, while Brandon Martinez-Luhman has four goals and an assist for nine points. Colin Hupert has started eight matches in goal, making 38 saves while allowing 13 goals for a save percentage of .745.