Jordan Soteros (#37) returned his first career interception 44 yards for Carleton's touchdown
(photo by Niko Duffy '13)
Photo gallery by Niko Duffy '13
NORTHFIELD, Minn. - One week after being named the MIAC special teams player of the week, sophomore Jordan Soteros (Scottsdale, Ariz./Pinnacle) again proved to be worthy of recognition, intercepting two passes and returning one for a score. However, his efforts weren’t enough to keep the Carleton College Knights (1-5, 1-4 MIAC) from dropping their third game in a row, a 28-7 defeat at the hands of St. Olaf College. With the victory, the Oles keep control of the Goat Trophy, which is awarded to the winner of this cross-town rivalry game each year.
The Carleton defense gained momentum throughout the game, allowing St. Olaf (5-1, 3-1 MIAC) to score only seven points in the second half and forcing four turnovers after halftime. Red-zone defense proved to be their strong suit, as on two separate occasions, the Knights prevented the Oles from picking up any points despite being inside the 20-yard line.
On the other side of the ball, the Carleton offensive numbers took a hit due to six sacks. The Knights finished the day with only 81 yards of total offense.
The Oles manufactured drives of 36, 60, and 71 yards to take a 21-0 lead into the locker room at intermission.
The second half began on a promising note for the Knights, as DeAngelo Williams (Sr./Minneapolis, Minn./DeLaSalle) picked off a Dan Dobson pass in the end zone, halting a St. Olaf drive that appeared to be leading to a score.
Later in the third quarter, it was the defense that got the Knights on the board. Dobson threw a pass toward the sideline that Soteros read perfectly, picking up his first career interception and scampering 44 yards for a score. This was Soteros’ second touchdown in as many games, the other being a 92-yard kickoff return against Concordia.
Midway through the fourth quarter, St. Olaf added to their lead with a 26-yard touchdown by running back Leon Clark. The Oles threatened again late in the game, but Soteros—who added 10 tackles on the day—came up with his second interception, this one in the end zone.
Carleton back-up quarterback Danny Shields (So./Richfield, Minn./Academy of Holy Angels) completed four of six passes for 28 yards late in the fourth quarter, and linebacker-turned-fullback Andy Zweber (Jr./Elko, Minn./New Prague) paced the Knights’ rushing attack, carrying the ball 12 times for 40 yards.
The Knights travel to St. Paul next weekend to face Macalester College in the Battle for the Book of Knowledge. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. All games this season can be heard on KQCL 95.9 FM in the Northfield/Faribault area and worldwide via Knights Online.
