ST. PAUL, Minn. – A penalty kick by junior midfielder Jamel Benhamida (Faribault, Minn./Shattuck-St. Mary's) in the 71st minute proved to be the difference, as the Macalester College men's soccer team defeated Hamline University, 1-0 Wednesday night at Macalester Stadium. The MIAC-opening victory gives the Scots a 3-2 record overall, while the Pipers drop to 3-3.

With Macalester on the attack, a foul was called on a Hamline defender inside the Pipers' penalty area. Benhamida stepped up and buried a shot into the left side of the goal for a 1-0 lead.

Approximately four minutes earlier, a foul in Hamline's penalty area put senior midfielder Jake Burke (Dublin, Ireland/Shattuck-St. Mary's) at the penalty spot. Burke, who converted a penalty kick in the Scots' 2-1 victory over UW-Whitewater on Sunday, sent a hard shot just inside the left post. This time, Pipers' goalkeeper Dean Isaacson made the save, deflecting the ball around the post and out of bounds.

In a competitive and physical contest, Macalester built a 17-5 advantage in shots. Isaacson ended up with five saves for the game. Junior goalkeeper Colton Wenig (Bartlett, Ill./South Elgin), who has been in goal for all three of the Scots' wins this season, registered one save for his first career shutout.

Macalester plays a non-conference game at Dubuque on Friday, Sept. 15, beginning at 7:30 p.m. in Dubuque, Iowa.