The Gustavus men’s soccer team jumped out to a 3-1 lead against non-conference foe Buena Vista on Sunday, but then had to hold off a late charge from the Beavers to claim a 3-2 win in Storm Lake, Iowa. The Gusties got goals from Max Malmquist, Fraser Horton, and Chris Golv, while Luke Strom picked up the win in goal. Gustavus is now 12-4-1 on the season.
The Gusties got on the board early as Max Malmquist tallied an unassisted goal in the eighth minute. Gustavus out-shot Buena Vista 11-3 in the first half, but Malmquist’s goal was the lone score and the Gusties led 1-0 at the intermission.
The second half got off to a very fast start as Buena Vista tied the score at 1-1 on a goal by Derek O’Grady in the 48th minute (47:08), however Gustavus responded immediately taking a 2-1 lead on Fraser Horton’s goal just :16 seconds later (47:24).
Gustavus would score what turned out to be the game-winner in the 67th minute (66:51) when Chris Golv picked up his third goal of the season. Freshman Jon Carpentier was credited with the assist which is the first point of his collegiate career.
Buena Vista battled back and cut the lead to 3-2 on a goal by Jared Archer in the 85th minute (84:27).
The match was played in challenging conditions with sustained winds at 40 mph and gusts up to 45 mph.
Gustavus goalkeeper Luke Strom made five saves and improved his season record to 11-4-1.
The Gusties, who have clinched a spot in the MIAC Post-Season Tournament, will conclude their regular season with an important league match against St. Thomas at home on Saturday at 1 pm. Gustavus still has a chance to win or share their fifth consecutive league title. The Gusties need a win over St. Thomas and a Carleton loss to St. Olaf to win the title outright, or a tie with St. Thomas and a Carleton loss to St. Olaf to share the title with the Knights. There are other scenarios where each of the top four teams (Gustavus, Carleton, St. Thomas, and Augsburg) in the conference standings could claim a share of the title.