ST. PETER, Minn. – The Gustavus men’s soccer team’s three-game win streak in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference was snapped Wednesday at the Gustie Soccer Field as it lost 1-0 to Saint John’s University. The Gusties drop to 4-8-1 overall and 3-3-1 in the MIAC, while the Johnnies improve to 4-5-3 overall and 3-2-1 in the league.
The Gusties were forced to play with a disadvantage for a majority of the match as they were flagged for a red card in the 19th minute. The foul occurred in the box as Saint John’s was attempting to break away for a goal. The Johnnies received a penalty kick as a result and took advantage with what proved to be the game-winning goal. Saint John’s outshot the Gusties 7-4 in the first 45 minutes and led 1-0 at halftime.
“Going down to ten men relatively early on in the game, and conceding from the subsequent penalty made the task very hard today,” Head Coach Mike Middleton said. “We have such a big, wide pitch, and with that comes much more ground to cover. Our pitch is closer to ten yards wider than the last field we played one – thats a lot more space to deal with.”
The visitors edged the Gusties 6-5 in shots throughout the second half and were able to hold on for the shutout victory. Gustavus took seven corner kicks compared to four by the Johnnies. Matt Bateman (So., Savage, Minn.) suffered the loss in goal after making four saves, two of which were back-to-back in the 79th minute off a shot and rebounded shot.
“The lads pretty much dominated the game after the penalty incident,” Middleton said. “Saint John’s was content to try to get out of the game with the 1-0 win. We created several chances inside their box, and a number of dangerous incidents, but we were always going to be up against it. We needed something to fall our way, and it was not our day.
Gustavus next travels to Bethel (8-5-1, 2-3-1 MIAC) for a 3:30 p.m. match Saturday.
“We now have to look forward to the next game, and try to make sure we are back on track,” Middleton said. “It’ll be difficult to replace John Anderson at the back, who has been a real stalwart this latter part of the season. We’ll work on that later this week.
“This result pulls us back into the pack for the playoffs. However, we all know a good result on Saturday will see us separate ourselves once again. So, its focus onto the next game.”