<rleton women’s soccer season ended last Saturday when their 10 game winning streak was broken by cross town rival St. Olaf in the remaining seconds of the match. The Knights had beaten St. Catherine’s 4-0 the previous Thursday, pushing them ahead in the rankings. If they had either tied or beaten St. Olaf the Knights would have finished 3rd place in the MIAC and secured a conference playoff berth. Unfortunately, Carleton was not so lucky.
The Knights outplayed St. Olaf for the entirety of the game, out shooting them 15-1, but the Carleton offense could not find the back of the net. The Oles scored their goal off of a corner kick with only 2 seconds remaining in the second half. This was not the result that the Knights were hoping for in their regular season finale against St. Olaf.
Carleton finished the year 13-5 overall and 7-4 in the MIAC. The team is ranked 11th in the Midwest region, the biggest region in the country, which is a huge accomplishment for the season. There is still a small chance that the Knights could earn an at-large bid for the NCAA tournament, but the probability of this happening is very low.
The Knights celebrated their 7 seniors at the beginning of Satruday’s game. The Carleton women’s soccer program is losing an outstanding group of soccer players and human beings. Hanna Dijkstal, Maya Dusenbery, Lizzie Merrill, Megan Molteni, Clare O’Connor, Martha Polk, and Dylan Welch have been wonderful participants and contributors to the Knights success over the past 4 years. The seniors sang The National Anthem as a group to commence the game and the way their (surprisingly) pretty voices carried across beautiful Bell Field will surely be a cherished memory for players, coaches and parents as this day marked the end of the seniors collegiate soccer careers. Saturday’s memorable events and unexpected result definitely proved to be a bittersweet ending for the Knights and their unforgettable seniors.
