St. Olaf Men’s Soccer started the 2025 season off unranked after their talented history in the last two seasons. In 2024, they reached the second round of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III National Tournament and ended the season 15-4-4 overall. In 2023, St. Olaf Men’s Soccer won the National Championship with a 2-1 overtime victory against Amherst College, the first National Championship in the team’s history. After kicking off the first few games of this season, St. Olaf found a place in the United Soccer Coaches Top 25 National Poll at #19.
These Oles have been putting in the work to keep aiming higher ever since they started the season. Their first game was against Pacific Lutheran College with a final score of 4-1. Next, they played and tied against the University of Chicago 0-0. Brushing off the tie, Men’s Soccer continued to push through as they have won six of their last eight games.
On Sept. 17, St. Olaf Men’s Soccer played against Carleton College, their cross-town rival in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) opener for both teams. Ryan Bechtel ’27, with an assist from Abdirasak Bulale ’27, put Oles on the scoreboard with the first goal of the game at 12:36. Carleton pulled far ahead on the scoreboard with a 3-1 lead. At 58:59, Robi Buzakovic ’26 assisted Bechtel to score his second goal, bringing the Oles closer to tying the game. Bechtel assisted his teammate, Ben Beckman ’26, to tie the game after a red card to Carleton. Five minutes after his first goal, Beckman scored the game-winning goal for the Oles with an assist from Buzakovic.
On Sept. 20, Men’s Soccer fought to continue its winning streak against another MIAC opponent, Macalester College. Charlie Piller ’28 gave the Oles an early 1-0 lead until the Scots tied the game early in the second half. At the 63-minute mark, Robi Buzakovic was assisted by Sean Elster ’27 to score the decisive goal.
Looking ahead to the season, St. Olaf Men’s Soccer will play the College of St. Scholastica next in Duluth, Minn. on Sept. 27. They hope to continue their winning streak against the Saints as they continue to climb higher in the national rankings.