Box Score
NORTHFIELD, Minn. – Third-seeded No. 22 Saint John's soccer tied top-seeded No. 1 St. Olaf 1-1 in the MIAC Playoff Championship, but fell in the PK shootout, 4-1 on Saturday, Nov. 7.
The tie boosts SJU's NPI, used to select the 64-team field for the 2026 NCAA Division III Men's Soccer Tournament. SJU (17-2-3, 7-2-1 MIAC) entered the game at No. 23 in the NPI, while the Oles (17-0-4, 9-0-1 MIAC) were ranked fourth. The field is scheduled to be revealed at 10 a.m. CT Monday (Nov. 9) on ncaa.com.
St. Olaf started the game with a pair of quick chances on sophomore goalkeeper
Austin Ertel (Brownsburg, Ind./Lawrence Central), but the SJU defense cleared the ball out and went back the other way. Sophomore forward
Eli Ryan (Victoria, Minn./Minnetonka) returned the favor with a narrow miss left of the goal on a set play off a corner kick.
The Johnnies had the first quality scoring chance of the game at 15:19 as a
Grady Monette (Andover, Minn.) corner kick drifted into the box. Freshman forward
Jacob Oliver (St. Cloud, Minn./Cathedral) got a solid flick on it, but it hit directly off the post and away.
The Oles broke the shutout stalemate at 27:44. Three headers in a row changed the direction of the ball to beat three SJU defenders who were supporting Ertel in the goal.
Ryan had another chance a few minutes later, but his shot just tipped off the hands of the St. Olaf keeper for a 1-0 Ole lead at the half.
SJU turned on the offense in the second half, scoring the equalizer just 5:23 after the break. After an SJU throw-in, Oliver recovered the ball off an Ole turnover and flicked it upwards to Monette, who was able to head it over Olaf keeper Beckett Carlson.
Monette had a chance to take the lead in the 68th minute, but his shot in the box was saved by a diving Carlson on the goal line. The Johnnies had three more quality chances in the final 10 minutes of play but were unable to convert, sending SJU to overtime for the second game in a row.
The Oles were awarded a free kick just outside of the box in the first overtime, but their shot on the set piece, which scored on the Johnnies earlier in the regular season, went high.
Both teams came up empty after 110 minutes of soccer, forcing the championship to a penalty-kick shootout. St. Olaf scored on all four of its attempts, while the Johnnies made one and had two saved.
SJU held the total edge in shots (20-15) and shots on goal (6-5). The Johnnies also had eight corner kicks to just two for the Oles. Saint John's was whistled for 21 total fouls and three yellow cards.
Ertel finished with three saves in goal, while Monette led with four shots and three on goal. Three Johnnies, outside of Ertel in goal, played the full 110 minutes: freshman defenders
Billy Cornett (Minneapolis, Minn./Cretin-Derham Hall) and
Tommy Voshell (St. Paul, Minn./Central) and sophomore captains Ryan and
Taylor Petrich (Woodbury, Minn./Hill-Murray).
