Macalester College Athletics

A former All-America defender and MIAC Player of the Year, Roger Bridge helped turn the Macalester Scots into a traditional men’s soccer power after arriving in St. Paul from Auckland, New Zealand. He stepped right into the starting lineup as a freshman, anchored the defense from his sweeper position and helped lead the Scots to their first-ever MIAC championship in his first season in 1988. That was Macalester’s first conference team title in seven years in any sport. In his junior season, he helped guide the Scots to another championship and was named MIAC Player of the Year—a rarity for a defender. Along with teammate and fellow New Zealander Matt Jackson, Bridge became Mac’s first All-America selection in the sport and is one of only two Macalester four-time All-MIAC performers.While leading the team onto the scene as a nationally competitive program, Bridge and the Scots posted a 45-14-5 overall record and 32-5-3 conference record between 1988 and 1991. They made the national playoffs twice, and during the ’90 season, Bridge and the Mac defense surrendered just one goal while posting a perfect 10-0 conference record.

After his graduation, Bridge served on the Macalester Admissions Department staff and as an instructor in the Geography Department. He played professionally for three years for the Minnesota Thunder and came back to coach as an assistant at his alma mater in 1997 and 1998.