NORTHFIELD, Minn. – Macalester played Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference-leading St. Olaf to a scoreless draw through 58 minutes but it was the Oles' goal in the 59th minute which gave them a 1-0 victory.
THE BASICS
Final Score: St. Olaf 1, Macalester 0
Location: Rolf Melby Field, Northfield, Minn.
Records: St. Olaf 7-3-1, 4-0-1 MIAC; Macalester 7-5-1, 3-2-0 MIAC
HOW IT HAPPENED• Thirteen minutes, one second into the second half, Phumelela Sukati scored from the right side off a Torbjorn Morkeberg assist for the game's lone goal.
NOTES• Despite giving up the game's lone goal in the second half, Macalester outshot St. Olaf, 6-3, and had a 5-2 advantage in corner kicks in the game's final 45 minutes.
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Robert Tomecek, who had started 11 games and played every minute in eight of those games, did not see action versus St. Olaf.
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Tristan Springer did not start for the first time this season and played just 45 minutes after averaging 82 minutes per game in his first 12 games.
QUOTES FROM HEAD COACH GREGG OLSON• Talking about missed opportunities: "St. Olaf is a really good side. It's no wonder why they are leading the MIAC. We caught them flat in the first half and didn't punish them by finding the back of the net."
• Discussing the second half: "The second half was a battle. The Ole's took their few chances well; really, their only great chance of the game they turned into a goal. With that being said, I'm disappointed we didn't get at least a point. We had the better of play for stretches of the game and we had the better attacking stats - shots and corners. Obviously and unfortunately for us today, the one stat that counts is the score."
• On his team's health: "We need to get a few key players back to health for this critical week of MIAC games. Tristan (Spring) played sparingly and Robert (Tomecek) did not play. We are looking forward to playing at home for four of our next five games."
THE HOME STRETCH• The Scots finish the season with four of their final five games at Macalester Stadium. However, the next two games are versus teams ahead of them in the standings.
• With six teams advancing to the MIAC playoffs, Macalester finds itself in a three-way tie for fifth place with Augsburg and Saint John's.
• The Scots have a tie-breaker advantage over Augsburg, but the Auggies have a game in hand on Macalester while Saint John's, coutesy of a 2-1 win, holds a tie-breaker advantage over the Scots.
UP NEXT• Up next for Macalester is third-place Carleton. The Scots and Knights meet up at 7 p.m., Tuesday at Macalester Stadium.
• The Scots follow that with a 1 p.m. match, Saturday, against second-place Gustavus Adolphus, which received votes in last week's National Soccer Coaches Association of America/Continental Tire NCAA Division III national poll and were ranked fourth regionally.
