Despite late comeback, Oles unable to top Johnnies in 2-1 loss
The St. Olaf men’s soccer team, occupying fifth place in the MIAC, faced seventh-place St. John’s University on Sept. 29 at Rolf Mellby Field. Despite a comeback at the end of the game, the Oles were not able to top the Johnnies, losing 1-2.
Shelby Goudey ’16 was among the fans that turned out to support the home team.
“It was a great break from homework to get out, enjoy the sunshine and cheer on our Oles,” Goudey said.
Although the Johnnies took the win, the Oles outshot them 20-5. Mackenzie Lund ’14 and Ryan Johnsrud ’14 led the team with four shots each.
The Oles came out strong offensively. Within the first four minutes, the Oles had three shots on goal. However, the Johnnies were first on the scoreboard after Alex Nierderloh’s shot in the 12th minute.
“St. John’s came out with a lot of energy and kept it up most of the game,” Aaron Stets ’16 said.
At the start of the second half, a Johnnie penalty kick made the score 2-0.
Playing only 10 men, the Oles were able to rally as Nick Lund ’15 scored his second goal of the season, 28 minutes into the second half, assisted by Claudio Barboza ’16.
In the final minutes of the game, a shot by David Rosenthal ’14 hit the side of the goal and deflected to the opposite side. Had an Ole been available for the rebound, the game could have gone into overtime.
“I thought the game didn’t go as well as we hoped for,” Nick Lund said. “We definitely had our chances to put them away, but we didn’t capitalize and it cost us in the second half. We fought as hard as we could, but sometimes the score isn’t what you want.”
“We are looking for some strong wins in the rest of the conference season, which will give us a shot at getting to the national tournament,” Stets said.
In the meantime, the men claimed a formidable – though non-conference – victory over Bethany Lutheran on Oct. 2 in Mankato, Minn. Nick Lund led the Oles with two goals in the 10-1 rout. With the victory, the men’s record stands at 6-4-1, 2-1-1 in the MIAC.
The St. Olaf men are away for the next two games. The Oles play the University of St. Thomas on Oct. 6 and Augsburg College on Oct. 10.
“I am really looking forward to the rest of the MIAC games this year because every team in the conference is a good team,” Nick Lund said. “It is always a battle to the end of the regular season.”
The Oles return home on Oct. 13, facing Macalester College.
