SAINT PETER, Minn. – No. 8 Gustavus men’s soccer took control of the conference standings Saturday with a 2-1 victory over St. Olaf. The Gusties won a closely contested match to improve to 9-0-4 overall and 6-0-1 in the MIAC, while the Oles dropped to 9-5-0 overall and 6-2-0 in the league.
Gustavus opened the scoring in the 34th minute by taking advantage of a corner kick. Carlos Robles (So., Minneapolis) gathered a rebound and fired home his second goal of the season for the 1-0 lead. The Gusties maintained a one-goal lead until the Oles scored in the 52nd minute on a well-executed cross. The Gusties found themselves playing on their heels in the ensuing minutes, but recomposed and scored the game-winner in the 65th minute. Clarence Weah (So., Minnetonka) broke away from the Ole defense and played a cross to Owen Johnson (Jr., Apple Valley) on the left side of the box, who scored his team-leading sixth goal of the season.
The Gusties outshot the Oles 11-9 as Wesley Sanders (Sr., Urbandale, Iowa) made five saves. St. Olaf had 11 corner kicks compared to three by Gustavus.
“Firstly, St. Olaf is an unbelievably gifted team and one of the best teams in the country, without a doubt,” Head Coach Tudor Flintham said. “Very well coached and super talented. Which is what makes the win really special. Two of the best teams in the country battling it out and doing it the right way. I feel satisfied with the victory, but I’m also glad that both teams could shake hands at the end and say they truly respect each other. There are no individuals I can highlight today because this was an absolutely bought-in team effort. Everyone on the pitch sacrificed for the group and the bench gave us the extra energy, passion, and focus we needed.
“We’ll also be back to full strength now for a really important regional game versus Luther on Monday. Rest, recover, and we go again. Go Gusties!”
Gustavus hosts Luther at 3:30 p.m. Monday for its final non-conference game of the season.