ARDEN HILLS, Minn. – Defenders Will Ulmscheid and Ben Roman scored the first goals of their collegiate careers, but the Carleton College men's soccer team lost a crucial late-season match at Bethel University by a 4-2 margin.
 
With the victory, Bethel (9-4-3, 5-3-1 MIAC) clinched a playoff berth, while the Knights (8-5-3, 2-4-3 MIAC) saw their six-game unbeaten streak end. The defeat, coupled with results from around the league, also dropped Carleton to seventh in the MIAC standings, putting the Knights' conference-record streak of 17 consecutive MIAC Playoffs berths in jeopardy heading into the final week of the regular season.
 
The Royals also avenged a 5-2 home loss to Carleton in the 2024 MIAC Playoffs, a game in which the Knights' Ben Pennell notched a hat trick. This time around, it was a three-goal game for Bethel's Jordan Ross that proved to be the difference.
 
The Royals took an early lead, scoring a goal in the first minute. Bethel earned a corner kick, and just as it seemed the Knights would clear the danger, the Royals' Roy Kyle ran onto the ball and uncorked a 20-yard shot into the right side of the goal.
 
Ross doubled the Bethel lead in the 37th minute with a shot from the top of the box into the bottom right corner.
 
Carleton got a goal back off a set piece in the 44th minute. Jonathan Vonderlage sent a cornerkick to the top of the six-yard box, and Ulmscheid out-jumped everyone to power his header in the net. It was Vonderlage's ninth assist of the season, second-most among MIAC players this season.
 
The Knights had a golden opportunity to tie the score in the 73rd minute, but a header by Hudson Benites was saved and Vonderlage's close-range follow-up was somehow kept out by the Royals' defense.
 
With Carleton putting numbers forward, Bethel capitalized on a Knight giveaway with Ross notching his second goal of the game in the 80th minute, finding the top right corner from just outside the box.
 
Ross tacked on an 82nd minute penalty kick goal to complete his hat trick, despite Carleton goalkeeper Leo Kugel going the right way.
 
In the 88th minute, the Knights cut into the deficit, as Roman got on the end of a pass and cashed in a 30-yard strike by finding the top left corner.
 
Bethel finished with a 21-11 edge in shot attempts, with both sides putting nine shots on goal. Possession time was split evenly.
 
Griffin Blokker had seven saves for Bethel, while Kugel registered five stops for the Knights.
 
Up Next for the Knights
Carleton concludes the regular season by hosting College of St. Scholastica for a Senior Day contest at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 1.