DULUTH, Minn. – The St. Scholastica men's soccer team conceded three first-half goals in a 3-0 loss to Gustavus Adolphus on Wednesday at Kenny Harkins Field, leaving two conference matches remaining in the Saints' pursuit of their first MIAC playoff berth.
St. Scholastica moved to 7-9 overall and 4-4 in conference play. Gustavus improved to 10-3-2 overall and remained unbeaten in the MIAC at 6-0-1.
Henrry Abarca-Gonzalez opened the scoring in the 28th minute. The Gusties extended their advantage with goals from Leo Runestad and Darren Chukel, who converted a penalty kick, in the 38th minute to take a 3-0 lead into halftime.
Alexander Estrada-Cortez (Richfield, MN/Richfield HS) tested Gustavus goalkeeper Jackson Baker with a shot on goal in the final minute of the opening half, but Baker made the save to keep CSS off the scoreboard.
The Saints opened the second half with four corner kicks in the first four minutes but were unable to capitalize. Afonso Silva (Lisbon, Portugal/) made six saves after halftime, helping CSS hold Gustavus scoreless over the final 45 minutes.
Gustavus finished with a 24-4 advantage in shots and a 9-1 edge in shots on goal. Estrada-Cortez, Thomas Robar (Bloomington, Minn./Thomas Jefferson HS), Michael Nuqui (Wellingborough, England/) and Delwin Cruz (Richfield, MN/Richfield HS) each recorded a shot for St. Scholastica, while the Gusties led 8-4 in corner kicks.
With Augsburg defeating Bethel 3-2 and Macalester losing to Carleton, the Saints sit seventh in the MIAC with 12 points, behind Augsburg's 15 and ahead of Macalester's 10. The top six teams qualify for the conference playoffs.
CSS controls its postseason path heading into its final two conference matches against Concordia-Moorhead and Saint John's. A win and a draw would bring the Saints to 16 points and guarantee the program's first MIAC playoff appearance.
One victory could also be enough. A 15-point finish would secure a berth if Macalester fails to win both of its remaining matches against Saint Mary's and Augsburg. If the Scots win both, they would finish with 16 points, while Augsburg would remain at 15 and hold the head-to-head tiebreaker over CSS.
That creates a potential clinching opportunity Saturday: a Saints victory at Concordia, coupled with a Macalester loss or draw against Saint Mary's, would send St. Scholastica to the MIAC playoffs for the first time.
The Saints visit Concordia-Moorhead on Saturday, Oct. 24, at 3:30 p.m. CSS then travels to UW-Platteville for a non-conference match Oct. 27 before hosting Saint John's in the regular-season finale Oct. 31 at 3:30 p.m.
