And an exciting future for the Knights, too! Only two (or potentially three) of this year's juniors look set to play big roles next year, meaning that the freshmen and sophomores who gained a lot of experience this year will be forming the backbone of next year's team. This sets CarlEton up well for two years of cohesion, allowing the team to grow together over multiple seasons. Even if the ball didn't roll the Knights' way this year, an eleventh straight top-4 finish shows that the kids are alright on the East side of NoFo (can't say the same about our friends across the river).

Meanwhile the final between MAC and UST looks to be a great game. The two most consistent and talented teams meet in the final, just as it should be. Looking for MAC to come out flying and not allow the Tommies to settle into a passing rhythm. 2-1 Scots

I have to praise my dad for his insights but scold him for his vulgarity. He's not wrong, though.

Hamline and Concordia were the spoilers this weekend, Hamline spoiling the Johnnies' chances of a high-playoff seeding and Concordia spoiling Bethel's shot a .500 record and improving self esteem. Mac falls to third with a disappointing draw against a gritty Augsburg team but still has a reasonable chance at a first round bye with tuesday's 1v2 Tommies v CarlEton matchup. The Tommies' D-1 transfer-laden ship continued to run full steam ahead by brushing aside St Mary's and CarlEton's underperforming undergrads are starting to get hot at the right time with two big wins on the last two saturdays. UST ended CarlEton's season last year so the knights will be out for revenge. My prediction is 3-2 CarlEton. The Tommies will go up 2-0 but will be down to ten-men after Erickson is sent off with two yellows, one for excessive celebration and one for being a total dick. Without their spiritual leader the Tommies will crumble under sustained pressure with the a hat trick from Kevin DoyHole off 2 assists from Mark Moth and 1 from John PetMe making this the greatest day in Evanston history.

Tomorrow will be interesting... The Scots, Tommies, and Johnnies all have winnable games so it'll be interesting to see if they can take care of business. GAC v Olaf looks to be the game of the weekend for the neutral. A couple up and down (or mainly down for the Gusties) starts, a couple leaky defenses, and St. Zero's cabbage patch of a field means that this one should be full of excitement. Augsburg v CarlEton is shaping up as a classic MIAC fixture- the two teams share a great enthusiasm for the season and a mild, Minnesota competitive spirit, meaning that this one should be occasionally chippy but ultimately friendly. My guess is that the Carls take a hard-fought match 1-0 thanks to a stingy defense and timely finishing.