St. Olaf Wins 2011 MIAC Men’s Soccer Playoff Championship

2011 November 6

tags: MIAC

by From the Wire

NORTHFIELD, Minn. – 11/5/2011

Facing a second-half deficit in Saturday’s 2011 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) Men’s Soccer Playoff championship match, top-seeded St. Olaf turned to sophomore David Rosenthal. The forward delivered with a pair of goals - including the game-winner in double overtime – as the Oles claimed the conference’s postseason title in a thrilling, 3-2 win over cross-town rival Carleton.

The two Northfield schools tied for the 2011 MIAC men’s soccer regular season championship with identical 7-2-1 conference records, so it was only fitting that they needed two extra periods to decide the Playoff title as well. With the score knotted at 2-2 in the second overtime period, Rosenthal gained control of the ball about 30 yards from the goal, took a couple of touches and drilled the game-winner into the lower-left corner of the net, setting off a celebration on St. Olaf’s home field.

Early on, it didn’t appear like the Oles would need any late-game heroics as it took the game’s first lead on an unassisted goal by Blake Dressen 22:08 into the game. However, Carleton struck back in one definitive five-minute flurry to pull ahead. Devin Tomson-Moylan scored for the Knights with the assist going to Neil Bartholomay at the 37:34 mark. Just more than five minutes later Carleton star Tim Wills put his team in front when he cashed in off a corner kick at 42:40 for a 2-1 Knights’ lead.

However, it turned out that was just setting the stage for Rosenthal’s unforgettable performance. The sophomore star scored an unassisted goal at 65:11 to tie the game at two goals apiece. After neither team could find the back of the net the rest of the way in regulation or in overtime, Rosenthal came through once again to give his team the postseason crown. His two goals were his 13th and 14th of the season, which tied and broke the Oles’ single-season school record.

The win was St. Olaf’s second against its rivals in a one-week span with titles on the line both times. The Oles beat Carleton last Saturday, 3-1, in the regular-season finale’ to share the conference title with the Knights. This Saturday, another win over Carleton gave St. Olaf another championship.

St. Olaf held a 15-6 edge in shots, and a 9-5 advantage in shots on goal. The Oles also had more corner kicks (11-8) and fouls (14-11). St. Olaf keeper Harry Ullmann made three saves and allowed two goals to earn the win, while Carleton’s James Neher made six saves and allowed three goals in the net. Rosenthal finished with seven shots, five shots on goal and two goals and Nick Lund added two shots and two shots on goal to lead the Oles. No one from Carleton has more than one shot in the loss.

The thrilling Playoff finale’ was a fitting conclusion to an exciting tournament, as both teams used one-goal wins Wednesday to advance to the championship match. The Oles were 2-1 winners over No. 4 Augsburg – the defending MIAC Playoff champ – while the Knights won a 1-0 game on a Wills header against third-seeded Gustavus.

Saturday’s win helped St. Olaf improve to 16-3-1 overall, while Carleton fell to 12-6-2 in 2011. Both teams will await the NCAA Division III Men’s Soccer selection show to see where the Oles are headed for their first-round matchup, and to see if the Knights can join them with an at-large bid. The selection show will be broadcast live online at NCAA.com Monday, Nov. 7, at noon.

Complete details from the 2011 MIAC Men’s Soccer Playoffs are available both below and on the tournament’s home page, including results, box scores, recaps and more.

Championship: Saturday, Nov. 5
No. 1 St. Olaf 3, No. 2 Carleton 2 (2OT) | Box Score |