NORTHFIELD, Minn. – The Carleton College men's soccer team trailed the Macalester College Scots 2-0 at halftime of the MIAC Playoffs Quarterfinal. 45 minutes later, the Knights completed an improbable comeback to win the match 4-2 and advance to the next round of the postseason.
The victory marked the first time Carleton had erased a 2-goal halftime deficit since Oct. 23, 2021 against St. Scholastica. This game also stands as Carleton's first home postseason win since 2021, when the Knights also defeated Macalester 1-0 in the semifinal en route to a conference title.
After the match, senior center-back
Josh Zebrack said "I'm speechless. I couldn't be prouder of this team. What a second half...it really shows what this team is about. The heart, the effort - every single guy on the roster deserves that win". Head coach
Bob Carlson tipped his cap to Macalester before praising his own side, saying "Macalester, what a team, what a coaching staff. [Coach Gregg Olson] does an unbelievable job. Hats off to Mac. But man, what a gritty performance for our guys. Just so happy for them. Oscar [Gates] was incredible all game, so was Josh [Zebrack]. I could talk for hours [about our players]. We get another day together, and that's what we were looking for".
20 minutes into the match at rain-soaked Bell Field, the Scots (7-6-4. 5-4-1 MIAC) won a corner. Carleton (11-6-1, 6-4 MIAC) couldn't fully clear after the initial delivery, and Macalester midfielder Kasdan Blattman curled a second-effort cross to the forehead of teammate Chris Frantz. Frantz powered a header just under the bar for a 1-0 lead.
Just 40 seconds later, Blattman slid a through ball for Frantz along the left wing, and the senior forward drew Carleton's goalkeeper off his line and chipped into the bottom corner for a quick-fire brace. The Knights could not muster a shot on goal for the remainder of the half and went into the break down a pair of goals.
Carleton entered the second stanza with a newfound intensity. Just seven minutes past the start of the second,
Alex Harcourt drew a foul near the right touchline 30 yards from goal.
Ben Roman stepped up to the free kick and delivered a swerving ball to the top of the six-yard box, where it was met by
Zebrack. The center-back punched a header into the bottom right to get Carleton back in the game.
In the next 10 minutes, the Knights ratcheted up the pressure, putting three shots on goal. The breakthrough came in the 63
rd minute, when
Finn Lennon laid a perfect ball between a pair of Scots for
Oscar Gates. The rookie pelted into the box and beat the Macalester goalkeeper to the ball, poking the equalizer over the line for his seventh goal of the season.
The game got tighter, with the teams exchanging blocked shots and fouls for much of the final half-hour of play. The match looked like it may have been destined for extra time, until in the 88
th minute
Asher Burt sprayed a ball out to the left wing for Lennon. The sophomore whipped in a delivery towards senior striker
Willan Shrock, who leapt and flicked a finish into the side-netting to give Carleton a 3-2 lead.
Macalester sent all 11 players into the box on a 90
th-minute corner, but the Knights were able to clear to
Matthew Deffo along the sideline. Deffo fired a pass to Shrock, who beat a lone defender and passed into an empty net to ice the win.
Shrock's two goals marked the third brace of his career, while Lennon recorded two assists for the first time. The Knights outshot Macalester 19-12, with 10 shots on goal to four from the Scots. Each team took eight corner kicks.
Up Next for the Knights
Carleton will travel across the Cannon River for a MIAC Semifinals edition of the Northfield Derby. Kickoff against No. 1-seeded St. Olaf College is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 5.
