NORTHFIELD, Minn. – The Carleton College men’s soccer team and visiting Hamline University battled to a 0-0 draw on Wednesday. The Knights played without either captain for the second straight game but secured their third consecutive shutout.
The Knights (6-3-3, 2-2-2 MIAC) are now 1-1-3 in overtime contests this year and remain in seventh place in the conference. However, Carleton sits only two points out of third in the extremely crowded MIAC playoff chase as just five points separate third from 10th place, with the top six teams advancing to the postseason.
The 0-0 scoreline does not capture the excitement of the intra-conference matchup, which saw both teams come within inches of scoring.
The first such occasion came for the in the 21st minute, when Danny Leal (Sr./Rice Lake, Wis./Rice Lake) sliced and diced his way into the box, but his low shot was corralled by the diving Hamline goalkeeper Dean Isaacson.
Carleton goalie Brandon Hilliard (Jr./Anoka, Minn./Totino Grace) came to the rescue in the 31st minute, putting his reflexes on display as he made a close-range save to keep out Adam King’s shot and keep the game tied.
Both teams hunkered down on defense in the second half, with neither side registering a shot on target before the end regulation. Carleton’s Andrew Younkins (Fy./Beaverton, Ore./Westview) dominated midfield play, repeatedly sending Hamline’s (7-4-2, 1-3-2 in MIAC) attack away empty-handed.
The Knights nearly came away with an overtime winner in the 101st minute, but Kohl Sparrman’s (So./Apple Valley, Minn./Rosemount) shot from the top of the box was parried away by Isaacson. Carleton took the only shots of both overtime periods.
The Knights return to action on Saturday, Oct. 5 in a 7 p.m. clash at conference foe Macalester College.
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