Soccer beats Gustavus in semis, falls to St. Olaf

On Nov. 1 the Johnnie soccer squad advanced to the MIAC Semifinals after a 2-1 win over No. 19 Gustavus Adolphus in St. Peter.

Senior forward Tommy Picka lifted the Johnnies to victory with a pair of goals, the first coming off SJU’s first penalty kick of the year and the second late in the fifth minute of extra time, assisted by senior Kevin Stark-Haws and sophomore Brian Real Juarez. The goal was Picka’s third game winner of his SJU career.

During the game, the Johnnies had only two shots on goal while Gustavus had 11 shots on goal. First-year goalkeeper Ryan Siefken did his job, letting in only a single goal.

Siefken had an impressive 10 saves this game. This was also Coach John Haws 100th career win for the Johnnies.

The Johnnies went on to play No. 12 St. Olaf in the MIAC semifinal on Nov. 3 in Northfield, MN.

Junior Matt Anderson tied the game 1-1 early in the ninth minute. Anderson was assisted by sophomore Cole Ober who found Anderson in the perfect position to continue the fight toward the MIAC championships.

During this game, there were four shots taken on goal for St. John’s while St. Olaf had seven shots on goal. Siefken had five saves.

Unfortunately, the Johnnies lost 2-1 in a very hard-fought battle. While this ends their run toward the MIAC title, the Johnnies finished 8-9-1 overall and 4-6-0 in MIAC play.