The Johnnie soccer team (9-5-4, 6-2-2 MIAC) travels to face the tournament's top seed, No. 13 Carleton (16-1-1, 8-1-1 MIAC), in the first round of the MIAC Playoffs this Tuesday, Oct. 30, in Northfield. – Live Stats | Live Video
Preview Video:
-Head coach John Haws (0:39)
A LOOK AT THE JOHNNIES: Saint John's punched its ticket to this week's four-team MIAC Playoffs with a convincing 5-0 win over Concordia-Moorhead in the home and regular-season finale Oct. 27 in Collegeville. SJU scored four goals on its first five shots on net Saturday night. Freshman Victor Perez (Inglewood, Calif./Verbum Dei) started the scoring run with his second goal of the season 4:11 into the match, with an assist going to fellow freshman Alex Niederloh (Maple Grove, Minn.). Sophomore Ian Scudder (Sherwood, Ore.) tallied his ninth goal of the year, with assists going to junior Michael Coborn (St. Cloud, Minn./Cathedral) and sophomore Zane Heinselman (River Falls, Wis.), 5:15 later. Junior Joe Balder (Stillwater, Minn.) made it 3-0 with a goal off a free kick 40 seconds later. Sophomore David Wee (Savage, Minn./Prior Lake) recorded his seventh goal of the season 6:23 into the second half, with an assist going to Scudder. Sophomore Josh Whitaker (Milwaukie, Ore.) ended the scoring with his fourth goal of season at the 77:58 mark. Freshman Robert Deetz (Owatonna, Minn.) tallied his first collegiate point with an assist on the scoring play. Freshman Kevin Lebahn (New Hope, Minn./Benilde-St. Margaret's) made seven saves in goal before being relieved by freshman Phil Evans (Mendota Heights, Minn./St. Thomas Academy) at the 79:50 mark. Evans made four saves to secure the shared shutout.
MIAC LEADERS: With his three points Saturday night, Scudder ended the regular season as the MIAC's leading scorer with 22 points (8g/6a) in 10 conference games. Coborn, meanwhile, finished with a league-leading 12 assists in 18 matches (all games).
BACK IN IT: The MIAC-Playoff appearance is the first for SJU since 2006; a season in which the Johnnies claimed a share of the regular-season title.
A LOOK AT THE KNIGHTS: Carleton ended its regular season with a 1-0 win over St. Olaf to claim a share of the MIAC championship. The title is the Knights' fifth over the last six seasons. The victory enabled SJU to earn an MIAC-Playoff berth with the win over the Cobbers later in the day. Freshman Branden McGarrity tallied the game-winner, his second in as many games. It was his 19th goal of the season. McGarrity boasts a team-leading 42 points (19g/4a), while junior Simon Ginet has 34 (12g/10a). Carleton enters Tuesday's match with shutouts in each of its last five games, outscoring its opponents 19-0 in the process. The Knights have outscored their opponents 6-to-1 (60-10) and hold a 2-to-1 ratio in corner kicks (108-54) and shots (318-161).
THE TOURNAMENT: The Carleton/Saint John's winner plays the winner of the (No. 2 seed) Gustavus Adolphus/(No. 3 seed) St. Thomas for the MIAC Playoff Championship this Saturday, Nov. 3, at the highest-remaining seed. The MIAC Playoff champion earns the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament.
EARLIER THIS SEASON: Heinselman scored off a rebound 4:09 into the first overtime to defeat Carleton 2-1 Oct. 14 in Collegeville. The victory snapped a five-game losing streak against Carleton, in which three of the losses occurred in overtime. SJU was the first to score when Coborn blasted a free kick at the keeper's head and the deflection went directly to the foot of Wee for the goal. The Knights tied the match at 1-1 off a free kick, just outside the box, from Alex Voorhes at 66:46 of the match. Four minutes into overtime, Scudder dribbled up the left sideline and fed Coborn in the box, who then turned the corner and slid a pass into the middle of the goal box where a hard-charging Heinselman put it away. Junior Ryan Brutger (St. Cloud, Minn./Apollo) made six saves in the victory, including a game-saving stop off the foot of Carleton's Branden McGarrity with one second remaining in regulation.
SERIES HISTORY: The Johnnies are 21-8-1 all-time against the Knights since 1983, but hold a 9-6-0 advantage in Northfield. SJU has lost each of the last three meetings at Carleton, two of which were decided by a 2-1 score in overtime.
