GAME HIGHLIGHTS

NORTHFIELD, Minn. – Less than 24 hours before Halloween, the Carleton College women's soccer team tricked their crosstown rivals St. Olaf College countless times in a 7-2 victory and were rewarded with the treat of a spot in the upcoming MIAC Playoffs.
 
With the win the Knights (9-3-3, 6-2-2 MIAC) clinched their first appearance in the postseason since 2014. Meanwhile, the Oles (7-8-7, 4-5-1 MIAC) were eliminated from playoff contention with the loss.
 
This was also the first time since Aug. 29, 2008 (W, 7-0 vs. Finlandia) that Carleton scored seven goals in a contest and matched the most goals the Knights have ever scored in a MIAC match (W, 7-1 vs. Augsburg on Sept. 15, 1998).
 
"What a special way to clinch a tournament spot," said Carleton head coach Jocelyn Keller. "The team played cohesively and for one another today, always a rewarding feeling."
 
The Knights saw six different players tally goals on the afternoon and opened the scoring frighteningly early. In the fourth minute, Lily Hurtubise (So./Port Huron, Mich./Port Huron) beat the St. Olaf keeper to a ball at the top of the box and played a perfect through ball to the middle of the field. Rainey Tilley (Fy./South Pasadena, Calif./South Pasadena) ran onto the pass and just kissed the ball with her right foot to score on the open net for her team-best seventh goal of the season.
 
With the attacking spirits high, Carleton added another goal in the 11th minute when Annette Shumway (So./Arlington, Va./Yorktown) stalked down a deflected pass in the box and volleyed a shot into the left side of the net for her first goal of 2019.
 
The Knights kept attacking, scoring their third goal in the 14th minute from a third musketeer. Senior Madeline Marker (Edina, Minn./Edina) made a dazzling run from near the midline, ultimately curling her effort from the top of the box into the left corner of the net for her fourth goal of the season.
 
Tessa Anderson managed to stop the bleeding and prove that the Oles were not dead yet when she intercepted a clearance in Carleton's box and one touched her shot into the left side of the goal in the 20th minute. This tally made the score 3-1, but there were still plenty more goals to come before intermission.
 
Mackenzie Korpi (Sr./Rye Brook, N.Y./Blind Brook) added a brace in the final seven minutes of the first period, starting with a devilishly good chip shot over the keeper. She followed that up by intercepting a pass in the attacking third of the pitch, putting the goalie in a hex with a dribbling sequence, and scoring on the empty net to make the score 5-1 heading into halftime.
 
By taking five goals in the first 45 minutes, the Knights improved their scoring margin in the first halves of games this season to 19-4.
 
Shortly after the second half began, Anderson brought the visitors one goal closer, batting a cross past the goalie with her left foot.
 
After having its offense muted for over a half hour, Carleton scored its first goal of the second-half in the 79th minute. Myranda Sloo (Jr./Minneapolis, Minn./Southwest) sent a wicked cross into the box from the left wing, and Bella Bettner (So./DeKalb, Ill./DeKalb) deposited a one-timer into the back of net.
 
With the clock winding down, Nora Mertz (Evanston, Ill./Evanston Township) spooked the Oles backline into committing a turnover, popped the ball to herself, and then rocked a 90^th-minute shot past the St. Olaf goalie into the bottom left corner of the goal to finalize the scoring. With that strike, Mertz notched her 25th career goal for the Knights, tying her with Rose Koch '00 for the third most in school history.
 
UP NEXT FOR THE KNIGHTS: While the six-team playoff field is now set, there is still plenty at stake in regards to seeding. Carleton moved into fourth place in the conference standings with 20 points, one behind St. Catherine University, one ahead of College of Saint Benedict, and two ahead of Bethel University.
 
The Knights close the regular season with a 3:30 p.m. contest at Saint Benedict on Saturday, Nov. 2, while Bethel and St. Catherine will match up in St. Paul, Minn., which means Carleton can finish anywhere from the No. 3 thru the No. 6 seed in next week's conference tournament.