<rleton College men’s soccer team beat Augsburg College 2-0 on Saturday to secure the top seed in the MIAC Playoffs. This is the third consecutive MIAC title for the team. Saturday’s win is the ninth straight for the Knights, who are 8-1 in MIAC play. With second-half goals from Ryan Cammarota ’12 and Wes Elfman ’11, the Knights have now outscored their opponents 23-1 during this streak. The men’s soccer team heads to Colorado this weekend for games versus Ripon College and Colorado College. Carleton teams have seen only four such streaks during their time in the MIAC. On the men’s side, the outdoor track and field won 6 consecutive conference crowns from 1920-1925, and men’s basketball won 3 straight titles from 1921-23. Women’s tennis had three consecutive years as conference champs from 1985-87, and women’s basketball won 3 titles from 2003-05.
The game Augsburg game also provided the opportunity for the Knights to avenge their sole regular season loss last season, which came at the hands of the Auggies in a 1-0 loss on Bell Field.
While both teams were chosen to battle for the top position in the MIAC this season, Saturday’s game pitted a struggling Augsburg team against the first place Knights. The game proved to be a defensive struggle despite a few early scares from the Auggie attack.
An early second half goal from Ryan Cammarota ’12 proved to be the difference, as Cammarota calmly collected a rebound just outside of the 18-yard box and placed a beautiful left-footed shot into the back of the Augsburg net. The Knights’ defensive, led by All-American Robert “R-Cut” Carlton ’10, kept the Auggies off the scoreboard for the entire night in route to the team’s sixth straight shutout.
The Knights added a late goal by MIAC player of the week Wes Elfman ‘11 to secure their lead and claim at least a share of the MIAC regular season title. This is the third straight MIAC title for the Knights, who still have one MIAC game remaining on their schedule.
On Tuesday, the Knights stepped out of conference play to host Northwestern College. The game held even greater significance as the team’s four seniors were recognized before the game. This would be the last regular season game for seniors Robert Carlton, Brett Adelman, Ross Hamilton, and Lyndon DeSalvo.
Despite a slow start, the Knights were able to capitalize on a goal by Miles Silbert ’12 late in the first half. The Knights consistently sent dangerous attacks towards the Northwestern defense, but were only able to convert one more goal when Ross Hamilton scored in the 60th minute off of a penalty kick. The 2-0 win brought the Knights’ overall record to 12-3.
The success of the men’s soccer team has also allowed for regional recognition as the Knights have climbed to the 3rd spot in the NCAA regional rankings. The Knights will take their show on the road this weekend as they travel to Colorado College to face Ripon College on Saturday at 2 pm and Colorado College on Sunday at 1 pm. Follow the live stats for both games on Colorado College’s athletic website.