MIAC 2014

[GarbageGoals33]

GAC lost forward Ryan Tollefsrud to a broken foot last week so he is done for the year.  That is a terrible injury for the Gusties...

I caught the GAC vs. MAC game and it was ugly.  Macalester scored their only opportunity of the game and GAC was content with holding onto the ball and not throwing numbers forward.  GAC will need to switch up how they attack/possess if they are going to have any success in the MIAC tournament.  I have watched three games live this year (SJU 0-1, UST 1-0, and MAC 0-1) and GAC has looked very ordinary in each game.  The center mids retreat 70 yards to get the ball from the backs, push forward and find a player on the outside in the attacking third, they drive in a poor ball that is easily cleared, then they go back to square one...    I haven't seen that swagger or chip on the shoulder of the Gusties that shows they have a little extra something that other teams don't have. This GAC team had high aspirations going into the season, it will be interesting to see if they can salvage this thing in the MIAC tournament.

[jimmy92]

Half-time around the MIAC.
Carleton 1 - Concordia 0
Gustavus 1 - Augsburg 0
St. Olaf 1 - St Thomas 0

Jens Undlin scores again for the Oles. Leading the MIAC in goals and points I believe, but I could be wrong.

[GarbageGoals33]

GAC is laying the lumber to Bethel 5-1 at the moment.  Bethel hadn't conceded a goal in their previous 4 matches (all in conference matches).

I saw GAC's 5th goal live online and it was a thing of beauty.  A well constructed set piece at the top of the box led to an easy tap in.

Looks like GAC is throwing numbers forward instead of being content with just having the ball.  Great to see this type of performance heading into crunch time.

[jimmy92]

And that'll do it. St. Olaf claims the MIAC regular season title with a game to spare!

[GarbageGoals33]

Congrats to the Oles on a great MIAC regular season.  If St. Olaf could go ahead and put down a turf field prior to the MIAC playoffs it would be appreciated.

[jimmy92]

Yeah the field is in dire need of a resurface. It's a shame too because the team gets fantastic support from Olaf students, but the games are never pretty.

[GarbageGoals33]

It is unfortunate that the athletic department at St. Olaf doesn't do anything with their field.  St. Olaf has had some fairly skilled teams over the last 15-20 years but they have had the same miserable surface.  St. Olaf usually has a solid crowd of students on the hill (as you noted Jimmy) and it is an enjoyable atmosphere to play in as a player. 

[gustiefan04]

Just glanced at the MIAC standings. Congrats to the Ole's on the regular season championship.

5 out of the 6 spots in the newly expanded playoff are locked; Oles, CarlEton, GAC, Johnnies, & MAC.

How is it that yet again St. Thomas had a colassal let down and could potentially miss the playoffs?! Every year, we hear about the talent at UST, they start the sesaon strong and then tank. Are the thommies cursed?

GAC could still snag the #2 seed, tieing for second in the regular season with CarlEton and getting the higher seed in head to head results. It really seems as though only one MIAC team has a shot to make the dance by way of the AQ this year, unless Luther and/or Wartburg bow out of the IIAC tournament in the first round and GAC and STO both make the MIAC final.

Interesting to see Ylonen has been back in net for the majority of the last few matches. Although he was a 3 year starter and all-region GK, he's taken a back seat to Schmidt this year who's seen a majority of the playing time. Not sure of the reason for the switch in GK's all of a sudden in their senior year? But maybe having Ylonen back between the pipes regularly brings a higher level of confort and confidence to players on the field? He was pretty outstanding in his first three years, and with playoffs right around the corner, I don't think its wise to be switching up the GK's every game. Time for Middleton to pick his guy and stick with him...

Looking forward to some exciting playoff matches. With the expanded field and competitiveness within this conference, anything can happen!

[GarbageGoals33]

I don't think Sir Alex Ferguson could help St. Thomas reach it's potential.  St. Thomas clearly showed they have ability by beating Loras and hanging with just about every team in the conference, but they are a perennial bed wetter when it comes to late season results.

As for GAC and their keeper situation...  It is a good problem to have two solid goalkeepers.  Both guys have proven they can play at this point, I am just happy they aren't splitting halves any longer.  The Gustie defense is going to need to play beyond themselves the remainder of this season for good things to happen.  I enjoyed seeing Gustavus throw numbers forward yesterday.  This is a team that is as good as any when they are playing attacking soccer and aren't just happy to be holding the majority of possession.

The MIAC playoffs are going to be intense this year, with the #1 and #2 seeds having a major advantage with the first round bye.  The MIAC setup the schedule so the 3/6 and 4/5 winners play immediately the next day vs. 1 and 2.  GAC will need to take care of business on Saturday vs. an improve Hamline squad in order to earn a first round bye. 

[repete]

Could indeed be an interesting postseason.

Are the playoffs byes for the top two? If so, unless SJU stumbles against the Moorhead bus parkers, it means that all games will be on grass, right? SJU's surface looked to be in very good shape for late October against UWS, although it seems slow compared to a lot of the Bermuda I see out here.

Pretty good take on the latest flap on artificial turf.
http://www.soccerwire.com/blog-posts/synthetic-turf-cancer-risk-tiny-compared-to-more-sedentary-lifestyle-alternative/

[GarbageGoals33]

Nice to see an alternative view than "the sky is falling" when it comes to the cancer/artificial turf stories that have been coming out recently.  As a former/current? goalkeeper we realize we have enough problems as it is.

Congrats to SJU on being in the top 7 in the NCAA regional rankings repete.

Here is how I foresee the MIAC playoffs shaping up (prediction included):

#1 St. Olaf
#2 GAC
#3 Saint Johns
#4 CarlEton
#5 Mac
#6 UST

SJU 2 UST 1
CarlE 1 MAC 0

GAC 3 SJU 1
St. Olaf 1 CarlEton 1 (CarlEton in PK's)

GAC 2 CarlEton 1

I am a homer, I can admit.  If I wanted one team representing the conference in the NCAA tournament I would want the best team, and that is Gustavus.  St. Olaf is 0-3-1 against NCAA regionally ranked opponents (3 losses vs. top IIAC teams and one tie vs. GAC).  The rest of St. Olaf's non-conference schedule was awfully weak (Northwestern MN, Knox, Bethany Lutheran, Minn-Morris, and UWS).  GAC hasn't been outplayed in a single game this season but they have had some close ones.  They were winning vs. Wartburg and Puget Sound and coughed up the lead, out shooting (Wartburg 16-7 and UPS 13-9) and having more corner than the opposition (Wartburg 7-2 and UPS 9-2).  They gave up a single dangerous scoring opportunity to Mac and Saint Johns and gave up goals in each game while failing to score.  The best defense for GAC is going to need to be a good offense.

[jimmy92]

The Oles are ready.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7DZnw4S5_I

[KnightRider23]

First off, shout out to Branden McGarrity for breaking the record for leading goalscorer in Carleton history, surpassing the great Tim Wills in the process. Still has another year left to leave his mark and extend the record. Pretty impressive stuff.

Oles haven't won on Bell Field since 2004. Lol. Carleton has become very difficult to break down in the last few games, which should make Saturday's game quite interesting. I guess Carleton can't end St. Zero's season like they have the past two seasons, so I guess that might have to wait until next week. But until then, nothing like a little history refresher...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9r7hQzEoXE&index=2&list=PLOyWoOKvkAg6CXHlFdCSUhy47sIcr1ryF

[jimmy92]

I do like history refreshers
http://athletics.stolaf.edu/news/2011/11/5/MSOC_3279.aspx?path=msoc

[jimmy92]

Despite the points being unnecessary for the Oles on Saturday, I think they'll fight hard and get the win. Undlin is coming into form at the right time of year it looks like for the Oles.