ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Macalester College men's soccer team lost in the championship game of the MIAC playoffs, 1-0 to 12th-ranked University of St. Thomas Saturday afternoon at St. Thomas' South Field. The result leaves the Scots with a record of 13-4-3 on the season, while the Tommies (16-1-3) earn the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA playoffs.

The first half saw Macalester create several opportunities while controlling play, outshooting St. Thomas 9-3 over the first 45 minutes. Tommies' goalkeeper Aidan Hogan made two saves in the half, and the Scots were unable to get on the scoreboard, heading into the halftime break with the game tied, 0-0. Exactly seven minutes after halftime, Shae Bottum collected a loose ball near the top of Macalester's penalty area and scored for a 1-0 St. Thomas lead. The shot proved to be the only one on goal for the Tommies, and it was all they would need to secure the program's first MIAC playoff crown since the league instituted the playoff in 2003.

The Scots finished with 13 shots compared to six for St. Thomas, with senior midfielder Charlie Spurr (Seattle, Wash./Roosevelt) taking a game-high four shots. This was the fifth appearance in the MIAC finals for Macalester, with the 2009 squad winning the championship.

Macalester, ranked fourth in the latest NCAA North Region rankings, will await a possible at-large berth into the NCAA playoffs. The entire NCAA Division III playoff field will be announce on Monday, Nov. 7 at 12:00 p.m. The link to the selection show can be found on NCAA.com here: http://www.ncaa.com/liveschedule/2016/11/07

2016 MIAC Men's Soccer Tournament
Quarterfinals - Nov. 1
#6 Augsburg 2, #3 Gustavus 1
#5 Saint John's 3, #4 Carleton 0
Semifinals - Nov. 2
#2 Macalester 2, #5 Saint John's 0
#1 St. Thomas 1, #6 Augsburg 0 (OT)
Finals - Nov. 5
#1 St. Thomas 1, #2 Macalester 0