And then there were none
Sadly, all 3 of Minnesota’s remaining teams crashed out of the NCAA Soccer tournaments on Saturday.
D-3 Women
Carleton 1-2 Wheaton
The Carleton Knights womens soccer program pushed the college deeper into the NCAA playoffs than any other Knights team ever had, but the Knights couldn’t make it out of the round of 8, as Carleton lost to two time defending national champions, Wheaton College of Ill. The Knights fell to Wheaton 2-1.
“We’re incredibly proud of what this team has done this year,” said Carleton head coach Keren Gudeman. “We earned a spot in the tournament and played better than a lot of people probably thought we would. We surpassed our own expectations from the beginning of the season, and our senior leadership was fantastic.”
Congratulations to the team on a great run and to the Knights four seniors: Nicky Bloom (Evanston, Ill./Evanston Township); Yusi He (South Pasadena, Calif./South Pasadena); Melley Turner (St. Paul, Minn./St. Paul Academy) and Sophie Wood (Sr./Lake Bluff, Ill./Lake Forest) .
D-3 Men
Carleton 0-1 Middlebury
On Saturday, the Carleton Knights Mens team were feeling snake bit. The women’s teams from Carleton had to take on the two time defending champions, Wheaton College in the round of 8. The men were still trying to make it out of the sweet 16, but they too had to face a defending national champion in Middlebury College of Vermont. On a cold and windy evening in Hoboken NJ, the Knights succumbed to Middlebury in the 82nd minute of the game. Middlebury hung on for the win and the trip to the Elite 8.
“I can’t say enough about these seniors,” said Bob Carlson, head coach of the team. “They have taken the program to new heights, and they should hold their heads high. They’ve led us to a great season and had very successful careers.”
The knights mens team graduate 8 seniors, including all-time leading goal scorer Bobby Phillips (Vadnais Heights, Minn./Moundsview). The others are Sam Birnbaum (Bernardsville, N.J./Newark Academy); Jack Boller (Charlottesville, Va./Albemarle); Derek Orth (Sugarloaf, Pa./Hazleton Area); Joe Lindner (Hanover Park, Ill./Glenbard North); Paul Pedtke (Evanston, Ill./Evanston Township); Brian TenHoor (Eden Prairie, Minn./Minnehaha Academy); and Christoph Terwitte (Altenholz, Germany).
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Augsburg 1-2 Loris
The Augsburg Auggies looked very much like they could pull off a win against Loris (Iowa) in a game played 
in Dubuque. The Auggies Marcus Elmerskog (FY, Trondheim, Norway) scored on a header off a perfect 30 yard free kick by Andrew Seidel (SR, Woodbury, Minn.) just two minutes into the second half. Elmerskog got his head on the Seidel cross and powered the ball into the net. It was a very even battle with Augsburg having plenty of chances, but then with 10 minutes of time left in the game, Loris drew even in a scramble in front of the Augsburg net that saw four shots taken. One hit off the crossbar, two shots were blocked, and Justin McCord finally converted for the Duhawks, putting a shot from left to right across the crease, bouncing off the far post and into the net.
Augsburg played well through 2 overtimes but with 4:30 left in the 2nd OT, Loris’ Nick Berndt slotted a ball in past Auggie keeper, Pascaul Venter to win the game.
“Our seniors made a blind commitment to this program four years ago,” said Greg Holker, head coach of the team. “I was 26 years old, promising them a future of great success and NCAA glory. They took a risk on me. I will forever be grateful for their work and the sacrifices they made to put this program back on the map. We are all extremely proud of their work and excellence both on the field and in the classroom. Above this, they have grown to be extremely confident and impressive men — men who do the right thing, and men who challenge each other and those around them to improve the lives of everyone they come in contact with. I am devastated that I won’t see them wearing these colors on the field again.”
Augsburg graduates seven seniors. James See (SR, Richfield, Minn./Holy Angels HS), Ryley Teske (SR, Minneapolis, Minn./Bloomington Lutheran HS), Andrew Seidel (SR, Woodbury, Minn.), David Long (SR, Bloomington, Minn./Holy Angels HS), Donnie McCarthy (SR, Whitehall, Mich.), Evan Fuhs (SR, Woodbury, Minn.) and Brian Jungwirth (SR, Bloomington, Minn./Bloomington Lutheran HS).
Congratulations to all of Minnesota’s entries into the NCAA soccer tournaments this fall.
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