<rleton first-year Branden McGarrity certainly played like a seasoned veteran last week as he helped the Knights win a pair of crucial MIAC games and a share of the conference’s regular season championship. McGarrity scored the game-winning goal in both of Carleton’s wins over St. Thomas and St. Olaf to wrap up the MIAC goal-scoring title and help the Knights wrap up the No. 1 seed in the MIAC Playoffs. For his clutch performance, McGarrity was named the MIAC Men’s Soccer Athlete-of-the-Week.
McGarrity’s game-winner came in the 41st minute against St. Thomas, as he opened the scoring when he received a pass over the Tommies’ back line and drilled a shot into the left side of the net in the 4-0 Carleton win. Saturday, he helped lock up the Knights’ fifth MIAC regular season title in six years when he scored the game’s lone goal in a 1-0 win over rival St. Olaf. McGarrity scored his second game-winner of the week in the 10th minute when he stole a pass, split the Oles’ back line and tucked a shot inside the right post. This season, McGarrity leads the MIAC with 19 goals and 42 points, and his 19 goals are the most by a MIAC player since 2001.