NORTHFIELD, Minn. – The No. 12-ranked Carleton College men's soccer team saw its season come to a sudden end with a heartbreaking 1-0 loss at No. 11 St. Olaf College in the second round of the NCAA Championships.
This was the sixth time that the Knights (15-3-2) and Oles (16-3-3) met in the postseason since 2007 but their first ever clash in the NCAA tournament. Carleton had won the previous three playoff meetings, but the two rivals are now 3-3 against one another in the postseason.
St. Olaf was the fresher team. The Oles were able to rest many of their starters for large portions of a 7-1 first-round victory over UW-Superior. Conversely, Carleton was back on the field less than 24 hours after playing an up-tempo, two-overtime draw with No. 14-ranked Pacific Lutheran. The Knights secured their spot in the second round after besting the Lutes 4-1 in the shootout.
Sunday's setback was the first loss for the Knights away from Bell Field this season. Carleton finished the year 9-1-1 on the road.
St. Olaf was the aggressor early, taking the first nine shots of the game. Still, the Oles struggled to solve the Carleton defense that entered the day with a 0.260 team goals against average, the best mark across all three divisions of NCAA men's soccer. The hosts finished the first 45 minutes with a 12-1 advantage in shots but put only four of those attempts on frame.
After a more even start to the second half, St. Olaf finally broke the deadlock in the 66th minute when Robi Buzakovic struck a low, driven 25-yard shot that deflected off the left post and into the net. It was a cruel defvelopment for a Knights' squad that was denied twice by the woodwork during the first round.
Carleton was unable to cash in promising chances for
Riaz Kelly and
Dylan Fox-Arnold in the 73rd and 74th minutes.
One day after stopping two shots during the shootout, Carleton keeper
Daniel Linder was credited with seven saves. Peter Forseth stopped three shots for St. Olaf.
Carleton is now 9-3-1 versus St. Olaf since 2013 with 10 of those 13 games decided by one goal and another going in the books as a double overtime draw.
The Knights finished the season allowing only six goals, breaking the program record of seven set by the 2008 squad.
