DULUTH, Minn. – Three different players scored as the St. Scholastica men's soccer team earned a 3-1 victory over Bethel University on Tuesday afternoon at Kenny Harkins Field, collecting three valuable points in its pursuit of its first MIAC playoff berth.
The Saints improved to 7-6 overall and 4-2 in conference play, moving into fourth place in the MIAC with 12 points. With four conference matches remaining, St. Scholastica is pursuing their first ever MIAC playoff bid, as the top six teams qualify for the conference playoffs.
Parker Chastey (Duluth, MN/Denfeld HS) put the Saints ahead at 13:21, scoring off an assist from Vasco Carneiro (Lisbon, Portugal/). St. Scholastica held a 6-4 advantage in shots during the opening half, while goalkeeper Afonso Silva (Lisbon, Portugal/) made three saves to preserve a 1-0 lead heading into the break.
Michael Nuqui (Wellingborough, England/) doubled the advantage at 66:44, finishing off Carneiro's second assist of the afternoon to give the Saints a 2-0 cushion.
Bethel cut the deficit to one when Owen Burshem scored at 87:31, but St. Scholastica answered just 22 seconds later. Kiki Schmitz (Meerbusch, Germany/) scored an unassisted goal at 87:53 to restore the two-goal lead and secure the victory.
Silva finished with six saves, including three in each half. Bethel held a narrow 12-11 edge in shots and a 12-3 advantage in corner kicks, but the Saints converted three of their four shots on goal. Carneiro led the offense with two assists as St. Scholastica earned its fifth win in its last six matches.
St. Scholastica travels to Augsburg University on Friday, Oct. 16, for another key MIAC matchup. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. in Minneapolis.
