NORTHFIELD, Minn. - Despite a standout effort from Daniel Linder (Jr./Evanston, Ill./Evanston Township) in net, the Carleton College men's soccer team's season ended in the opening round of the MIAC Playoffs, as they fell to Bethel University, 1-0.
 
The setting for soccer at Bell Field has been nothing short of spectacular this autumn, and even with the calendar flipping to November, the No. 4 seeded Knights (8-6-3, 6-3-1 MIAC) and No. 5 seed Royals (10-8-1, 5-5-0 MIAC) saw a sunny, windless day with temperatures nearing 70 degrees.
 
The first half hour of soccer saw Carleton claim nearly every dangerous chance. The Knights won the first half shot tally 5-2 and while Linder made a save near the corner of the net in the 10th minute, Carleton was on the front foot.

Bethel, which improved to 5-1-1 over the last 17 days, nearly countered this play in the 34th minute, but again Linder played hero, coming off his line and deflecting Jack Hanson's attempt off of his chest to keep the game scoreless. The only mistake by Bethel keeper Juan Valdivia Cortes came in the 37th minute, as he misread a bouncing ball with Sam Isaacman (Jr./Minneapolis, Minn./Washburn) pressuring, but the Carleton forward did not have the time to settle the ball and the flicked shot went just above the crossbar.
 
Carleton again looked to be on the front foot coming out of the halftime break, firing two shots, including a dangerous Briggs Priem (Fy./Milwaukie, Ore./Rex Putnam) chance, within the first five minutes of the period. However, it was the Royals who broke through in the 54th minute, as Youssef Abdallah fired a low shot that took a high deflection off of a player in the box and floated into the net. This tally would prove to be the difference, though not for a lack of Knights chances.
 
In the 73rd minute, Valdivia Cortes poked away Owen Flanagan's (So./San Francisco, Calif./San Francisco University) attempt from the top of the box. Three minutes later, the Bethel keeper came off his line to punch a Carleton corner kick leading to a strong volley by Priem from about 10 yards. The shot was past Valdivia Cortes, who was now off his line, but a Royal defenseman was there to clear the ball off the line.
 
Jonathan Vonderlage (Fy./Seattle, Wash./Lakeside) and Ben Pennell (Fy./San Francisco, Calif./Lick-Wilmerding) both got within a few feet of scoring on multiple occasions thanks to nifty play along the endlines. Priem's attempt from outside the box sailed just high in the 86th minute.

The Knights finsihed with a 15-6 advantage in shots and a 5-1 edge in corner kicks, but each team had only four shots on net.
 
The Royals, who are in the MIAC Playoffs for the first time since 2004, return to Northfield tomorrow to face off against No. 2 St. Olaf College in the semifinals.