SAINT PETER, Minn. – The Gustavus men’s soccer team is set to host Saint John’s 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 9-1 record and are 15-3 overall, while the No. 4 Johnnies finished the MIAC 6-4 and hold an 11-7 overall record.
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2018 MIAC Men’s Soccer Playoff Schedule
Quarterfinals – Nov. 5
No. 3 Carleton (14-4-1) def. No. 6 St. Olaf (9-9) 2-1
No. 4 Saint John’s (11-7) def. No. 5 Macalester (7-6-4) 0-0 (2OT 4-2 PK’s)
Semifinals – Nov. 6
No. 4 Saint John’s (11-7) at No. 1 Gustavus (15-3) 2 p.m.
No. 3 Carleton (14-4-1) at No. 2 St. Thomas (11-3-3) 11:30 a.m.
Finals – Nov. 9
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 14 appearances with a record of 11-8, 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, lost in the semifinals to Macalester in 2017, and fell to the Auggies again in the semifinals last year
LAST TIME OUT
The Gustavus men’s soccer team added its 16th MIAC Championship on Saturday when they took down Macalester 2-1. Raphael Cattelin’s (Fy., Edina) game-winning goal with 1:45 remaining proved to be the difference maker as the Gusties used theatrics for a second straight year against the Scots to claim a MIAC title.
In what proved to be an all-out physical battle, the Gusties and Scots played to a scoreless tie at the end of one half, with Macalester outshooting Gustavus eight to five.
Early in the second half, the Gusties hit paydirt. Matt Gibbons (Jr., Minneapolis) scored just over five minutes into the half, with Max McLaughlin (Fy., Urbandale, Iowa) receiving an assist. It didn’t take long for Macalester to answer though, as they were able to get a goal in the 60th minute to even things at one.
The Gusties, who came into the contest tied with St. Thomas for points in the league at 24, needed to scratch out a win in the contest to claim a share of the MIAC title as the Tommies were en rout to a win.
With time winding down, it looked as though Gustavus and Macalester would finish in a tie and the Gusties would finish with 25 points in league play and a second place finish, but the Gusties got their chance and took advantage. Gustavus had a throw in that they quickly threw into the feet of Cole Schwartz (So., Jakarta, Indonesia) on the right side, who lofted a pass out in front of the Macalester net that Cattelin bodied up, let bounce once, and then kicked past the Scot goaltender for the game-winner.
Wesley Sanders (Fy., Urbandale, Iowa) got the win in net, making six saves while allowing one goal.
SCOUTING THE GUSTIES
After 18 regular season matches, the Gusties average 3.50 goals and concede 0.89 per match. Gustavus also averages more than 10 shots per match than its opponents. Schwartz leads the MIAC with 19 goals and 44 points, while Cattelin has a MIAC high 13 assists, and is second in the MIAC with 41 points. Gibbons, who has missed some time due to injury, has posted seven goals and 11 assists in 14 games for 25 points, while his .786 assists per game are fifth in the nation. Sanders has started every game in net for the Gusties, making 57 saves while allowing 16 goals for a save percentage of .781.
SCOUTING THE JOHNNIES
In its quarterfinal matchup with Macalester Tuesday, Saint John’s and the Scots played to a 0-0 draw after 110 minutes of action and went to PK’s to decide the winner. The Johnnies made four of their five penalty kicks, while their goalkeeper was able to hold off two Scot attempts for the victory. Through 18 games Saint John’s averages 2.16 goals per contest while they allow 1.56 Kagan Foster and Ben Becker have been the team’s top point getters with 24 and 20, respectively, with Foster notching 10 goals. Payton Spencer has played 11 games in net for Saint John’s notching 57 saves while allowing 17 goals for a save percentage of .770.