ST. PAUL, Minn. – A goal by junior defender Clayton Smith (Plymouth, Minn./Wayzata) in the 56th minute gave the Macalester College men's soccer team a 1-0 victory over Carleton College in the quarterfinals of the MIAC Playoffs Tuesday afternoon at Macalester Stadium. The Scots (11-5-2) advance to Wednesday's semifinals at Gustavus, while the Knights end their season at 10-8-1.

Just over 10 minutes after halftime, Macalester was awarded a free kick just outside the Carleton penalty area to the left of the goal. Senior midfielder Jake Burke (Dublin, Ireland/Shattuck St. Mary's) sent the free kick towards the far post, where Smith headed the ball into the right side of the goal for a 1-0 lead. The Knights took six of their 10 shots after Smith's goal, but only one was on frame, as the Scots' defenders blocked three shots down the stretch.

Macalester held a slight 11-10 edge in shots taken but put seven on goal compared to two for Carleton. Junior goalkeeper Colton Wenig (Bartlett, Ill./South Elgin) notched his seventh shutout of the season with two saves, while Brandon Hilliard made six saves for the Knights.

The Scots, seeded third, will take on second-seeded Gustavus in the semifinals of the MIAC Playoffs on Wednesday, Nov. 1 at 2:00 p.m. in St. Peter, Minn. The two teams tied for second in the MIAC standings, with Gustavus earning the No. 2 seed by virtue of its 2-0 win over Macalester this past Saturday.

2017 MIAC Men's Soccer Tournament
Quarterfinals - Oct. 31
#3 Macalester 1, Carleton 0
#4 Hamline 1, #5 Saint John's 0, OT
Semifinals - Nov. 1
#4 Hamline (12-5-1) at #1 St. Thomas (17-1), 11:30 a.m.
#3 Macalester (11-5-2) at #2 Gustavus (13-5), 2 p.m.
Finals - Nov. 4
Semifinal winners at highest remaining seed, 1 p.m.